Stories
Shared by allies, community members, and other friends of PFLAG Charlotte
The Turning Point That Changed Everything, by Shenna Patterson
I think my kids are special. The most special. But that’s not actually special. We all do, right? But… I can objectively say that I am really, really proud of my firstborn for a special reason. In the nomenclature we use at home to describe gender identity, when she was born, “the adults guessed she […]Read More
3-2-1 Happy New Year! By Devin Green
“3-2-1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!” An immense wave of relief and comfort washed over me like an ocean crashing on the beach. I was alone, wrapped up in bed, but I felt the collective sighs of the east coast celebrating that 2021 was finally over. What followed was a fearless optimism about the year ahead. I […]Read More
Perspectives from a PFLAG Parent, by Pamela
My name is Pamela, my pronouns are she/her and (like many of the amazing parents and caregivers reading this) I am a proud parent of a gender non-conforming teenager. My child is a super creative animal lover who is non-binary on the gender spectrum and prefers they/them pronouns. They came out to my husband and […]Read More
PFLAG Charlotte Expands To Meet Growing Needs: Meet Our New Executive Director and New Board Chair
Charlotte – PFLAG Charlotte has become an integral part of the Charlotte community since its founding in 1987. But the non-profit dedicated to supporting families, allies and LGBTQ+ people has especially seen demand for its services skyrocket in the past year, as families spent more time together during the pandemic. To respond to increased community […]Read More
The Power of Family Support, a guest post by Dr. Sebastian Barr
Family acceptance and support are two of the biggest factors in trans and LGBQ+ individuals’ wellbeing. I know this truth at both a personal level and through my work as a psychologist with a focus on trans and nonbinary mental health; and this is one of the primary reasons I pursued an opportunity to be […]Read More
Nuggets of Hope, a guest post by Julie Bhamani
In 2008 as a recently graduated nurse, I remember taking care of a transgender woman in the hospital. She was on suicide watch. She had tried to kill herself because she had been in a fight, gotten arrested, and was being sent to jail because she couldn’t afford bail. The police were insisting that she […]Read More
A Local Teen’s Perspective: Why Acceptance Matters, a PFLAG Charlotte Young Voices guest post
I am a 15 year old sophomore in a North Carolina high school, a member of the LGBTQ+, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. When I first came out as lesbian to my parents, I had been thinking about this day for a while. If I’m being honest, I thought they would be a lot nicer. […]Read More
Let Us Never Forget, a PFLAG Charlotte Young Voices Guest Post by Devin Green
This year, at least 34 transgender individuals have been killed, the highest number since the Human Rights Campaign began tracking it in 2013. The sad reality is that, not only have the lives of at least 34 people been cut short, many of their killers will walk free. The trans panic defense, which is currently […]Read More
On Fatherhood and Faith, a guest post by Rick Norwood
When my son Justin came out his junior year in high school, my wife and I were supportive and, in many ways, there was very little change in our relationship. Justin had an excellent group of friends and other kind and supportive adults in his life and he was extremely independent and confident, so we […]Read More
Supporting my Transgender Loved One, a guest post by Annabelle Pardo
My journey began four years ago when our smart, introverted child, took on an unrecognizable attitude. My child had recently turned 15, so my husband and I assumed that she was simply showing the “symptoms” of adolescence. Nevertheless, we were still very worried and wanted to help our child. We had noticed shifts — more […]Read More
Welcome and Faith Communities: Part 2, a guest post by Tracy Watts, Documentary Artist
“The words that follow are tied to the documentary video with regards to welcome that I posted yesterday (last week). . . . I can’t in good conscience be silent about some of the stories I collected.” Read More
