PFLAG National is partnering with Gender Spectrum to continue and increase support for vulnerable folks in the LGBTQ+ community in their project PFLAG Connects: Gender Spectrum Parent Community.
Everyone is deserving of the support and guidance to a deeper understanding of themselves and their loved ones. With many organizations popping up to provide resources for a community in increasing need, educating ourselves can be key to supporting our loved ones.
As a parent, caretaker, friend, or just someone close to a person who isn’t cisgender, it can be difficult to find ways to be comprehensive of the change. But these tools can allow you to show your understanding and undivided love and support for them.
The journey gender diverse people go through should not be a solo-journey. Gender diverse people are often on a path of learning to accept and express themselves freely. It is also a journey for those around them to help these folks embrace their identity and aid with anything needed along the way.
The LGBTQ+ community has already faced various challenges and negative bills impacting the resources for the gender diverse youth. Thankfully, there are resources that aim at supporting groups in need. This is a community after all, and a community stands together and supports each other through thick and thin. And, like any other community, we should have resources to do so.
When Gender Spectrum announced their imminent closure in September of 2023, PFLAG stepped in to offer assistance to the organization.
Founder of Gender Spectrum Stephanie Brill says, “In September 2023 we made the very difficult decision to close our doors. When our friends at PFLAG National heard the news, they reached out and proposed partnering with us to make our most essential services available to a bigger and wider network of people across the country.”
Brill also expresses that Gender Spectrum “has been a source of community, education and support for parents, families, educators, and providers who love, support, teach, and provide care for gender-diverse youth”.
This is an amazing resource, especially because some parents/caretakers may lack knowledgeable and/or resources on how to get them started on hormones, how to get adjusted to preferred names, and what is and isn’t generally appropriate.
It can be easy for someone who is misled and misinformed to make mistakes along the way, and that’s why it’s amazing that there’s support groups to familiarize them with the change.
Susan Thronson, chair of the board of PFLAG National “relied on both PFLAG support groups and Gender Spectrum’s resources to help navigate what was then new territory for my family.”
The people that are a part of PFLAG understand what it’s like to need support and want to provide support for their loved ones and for themselves. Nonprofits like PFLAG National hold importance as they dedicate themselves to protect trans youth and add strong chapters in rural communities worldwide.
To get more information and resources, you can visit Gender Spectrum’s website and find more about their partnership with PFLAG here.
Featured Image by Anna Shvets, Courtesy of Pexels.
