About US
How it began ...
At Thanksgiving 2001, Rick and Mary Ann Nelson's son Jake told them he was gay. They later found out that Jake had been practicing how to tell his parents with a member of PFLAG Bellevue/Eastside chapter. In December 2001, they read an announcement in the Longview Daily News that Longview United Methodist Church (LUMC) was hosting a support meeting for parents of gays. In January 2002, Rick and Mary Ann drove the twenty miles along twisty State Route 4 from Cathlamet to the meeting with both anxiety and hope. At the meeting, Mary Ann recalls, "I cried and a woman handed me a pop and told me it would be OK". And it was. Later, group member Alan Rose told them about PFLAG. In January 2004 PFLAG Lower Columbia was incorporated with Rick, Mary Ann, Gale Williams, Willis Williams, L. Jay Gregory, and Barbara Vining forming the founding Board of Directors. Over twenty years later, the chapter is still Leading With Love in Lower Columbia communities, and LUMC still hosts monthly support meetings.
Learn more about PFLAG’s founding and history
Our mission: To create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
Our vision: An equitable, inclusive world where every LGBTQ+ person is safe, celebrated, empowered, and loved.
Our Work:
- We Support families, allies, and people who are LGBTQ+ with love and acceptance.
- We Educate ourselves and others about the unique issues LGBTQ+ people face.
- We Advocate in our communities to change attitudes and create policies to achieve justice, equity, and inclusion for people who are LGBTQ+.
Our Values:
- Support and Advocacy: PFLAG is dedicated to creating a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and their families. They advocate for equality and work to reduce discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly focusing on the needs of marginalized communities.
- Education: PFLAG emphasizes the importance of education for allies and the broader community. They believe in providing honest, accurate, and inclusive education to help every child learn and thrive, opposing censorship of LGBTQ+ topics in schools and libraries.
- Community Engagement: The organization values community engagement and strives to create spaces where everyone feels they belong. They listen actively to diverse voices and work to ensure that the power of various cultures and stories is respected and integrated into their efforts.
