About PFLAG

On June 25, 1972, Jeanne Manford walked with her son and well-known gay activist, Morty Manford, in the Christopher Street Liberation March in New York. She was approached by many other parents of gay children who were also proud and wanted to meet and support their families. Through this need, PFLAG was born.

By 1980, P-FLAG, or “Parents-FLAG,” as it was known then, was sharing information throughout the nation, in places of faith and schools. Dear Abby mentioned PFLAG in 1981 in an advice column, which led to such an influx of letters that PFLAG decided to become a nationwide organization.

In 1982, the national organization under the name “Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc.” was founded in California. With a new Executive Director in 1987, PFLAG moved its home office to Denver, Colorado, and many chapters opened across the nation.

In 1990, PFLAG had grown so much that the organization moved its headquarters to Washington, DC. They received some of the first positive comments about LGBTQ+ people from Barbara Bush at the White House: “I firmly believe that we cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country. Such treatment always brings with it pain and perpetuates intolerance.”

In 1993, PFLAG added “families” to its name and included bisexual people in its work. Later, in 1998, transgender people were finally included.

In 2014, the name of PFLAG was officially changed from an acronym for “Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays” to simply “PFLAG,” to be more inclusive of all the people it serves.

In January 2023, PFLAG unveiled new branding and a new mission statement to make clear that it is inclusive of all LGBTQ+ people, their friends, families, and allies.