‘Dear Abby’ Given First-Ever ‘Straight for Equality’ Award!
By Mike C.
Internationally syndicated advice columnist ‘Dear Abby’ was chosen to receive PFLAG National’s first-ever ‘Straight for Equality’ award at the PFLAG National Convention in Washington, DC. ‘Straight for Equality’ is PFLAG’s new program for straight allies who have no direct connection to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community, but who desire to help GLBT individuals achieve equality. As the person who single-handedly propelled PFLAG’s nationwide growth in the early ’80s (by a mere mention of PFLAG in her column when a parent wrote to her after learning her child was gay), and her continued support of GLBT individuals and their families in the ensuing years, there is no better deserving recipient of this prestigious award.
And, with Dear Abby’s latest public stance on same-sex marriage (she’s just announced that she’s solidly in support of same-sex marriage), being at the PFLAG Convention where she received her award and spoke in support of our families was a very special moment for all. Dear Abby continues to educate people who are alarmed at learning that they have a GLBT child that the problem lies with the person who is alarmed, not the person who is GLBT. We at PFLAG know that many parents and family members 
have initial reactions that are, well, less than desirable. PFLAG is there to provide support and education to these families so that they too come to learn that being GLBT is completely natural and is nothing to be alarmed about. Please join us as we celebrate the many years of support Dear Abby has given to our families and our community!
Pictured above are PFLAG National Executive Director Jody Huckaby, PFLAG National President John Cepak, and Dear Abby.
More:
- Dear Abby Supports Gay Marriage, Honored By PFLAG
Tags: ally, Dear Abby, Straight
This entry was posted on October 20, 2007 at 10:30 am and is filed under Advocacy, News, Straight Allies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 20, 2007 at 10:43 am |
Nice article and great pictures. It was so good to have someone like Dear Abby speak so forthrightly about gay marriage. She is such a ‘no nonsense’ kind of person. If only all people would read and adopt her common sense approach to life.
Nice job with the blog, Mike.
Kim Pearson
TransYouth Family Advocates
Information and tools for successfully negotiating life with a gender variant or transgender child.
http://www.imatyfa.org
October 20, 2007 at 7:18 pm |
Reminds me….need to write to Dear Abby about her advice to the lesbian wife. I agree Dear Abby is great.
And I am happy to see we are finally engaging straight people who don’t have glbt loved ones but support equal rights for glbt folks. Their voices need to be heard.
Mike, thanks for this great blog.
Regards,
Philip
May 1, 2008 at 9:01 am |
[...] was proud to honor ‘Dear Abby’ with our inaugural Straight for Equality Award, and we’re grateful to her for referring parents and relatives to PFLAG when a loved one [...]