Our Proposed New
PFLAG National
Position Statement

On May 24, 2000, after nearly eight months of correspondence between us and PFLAG National, we received this question from our primary contact there:

In all of this, it is not clear to me exactly what you want from PFLAG. It seems that the steps that we have taken in good faith to address your concerns have not satisfied you. Could you please be more explicit and specific about exactly what you are asking from PFLAG?

The following day (May 25, 2000), Gayle Madwin composed and sent the example below of a policy statement that would please us very much. We would be very interested to hear what could possibly keep them from issuing such a simple, short, and non-controversial statement that can do so much to make sure that all queer people can count on their local PFLAG chapters for support.

Our Proposed New PFLAG
National Position Statement

We in PFLAG acknowledge that no cause of sexual orientation or gender identity has yet been proven, and we recognize that different lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals hold different opinions on the causes of sexual orientation and gender identity, ranging from genetics to choice to environmental causes to any and all combinations thereof. We honor the right of all people to form their own opinions, and we are committed to defending the human rights of, and providing equal support to, all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals, regardless of the causes or their beliefs about the causes of sexual orientation or gender identity.

For this reason, we are committed to discouraging all chapters from showing either favoritism or hostility to any belief about the causes of sexual orientation or gender identity, and we are committed to encouraging all parents to listen to and show respect for their own child's view of the cause of sexual orientation of gender identity, regardless of what that child's view may be.

Our Proposed New
PFLAG National
Position Statement