Who We Are		Why does P-FLAG exist?
We are the parents, family members, and friends of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgendered people. Due to a lack of understanding, we may initially have reacted to this news with shock, anger, confusion, rejection, denial, sadness, and/or fear. We are, therefore, committed to helping others learn what we have learned. We do this by     SUPPORTING families and friends and helping them to        understand those who are gay,     EDUCATING society and working to dispel myths and        misinformation about homosexuality; and     ADVOCATING to end discrimination and secure equal        rights for all persons, including those who are gay.		We care because our loved ones need our support. We all learned that someone we love or care about is gay. We all found it somewhat difficult to accept. Some of us found it more difficult to accept than others, and some of us took longer to accept it. Now that we know and accept the orientation of our loved ones, we recognize that mutual support, self-education, and community awareness are some of the reasons why we come together. We understand that society has imbued all of us -- including our gay loved ones -- with misinformed attitudes about homosexuality. These prejudices must be confronted, or they will continue to interfere with the happiness of parents and children and their relationships with each other. Society must come to realize that our lesbian daughters and gay sons are healthy, normal, productive, and loving human beings. Just as our non-gay children have civil rights, so must our gay children.