Jefferson City PFLAG homepage

JEFFERSON CITY PFLAG
Meets at 7:00 p.m. on the third Monday of each month
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1021 Northeast Drive, Jefferson City:
halfway between Missouri Blvd and Stadium Blvd on Southwest Blvd,
turn east on Woodclift Dr (between United Way and Merrell University); go one block then turn left on Northeast.

For more information leave a message on the UU answering machine: 573 636 0684.
Or contact President Don Love, 573 875 7918.

Join our JC PFLAG group at Yahoo.com!

Information on our monthly meeting is at the bottom of this page

Welcome to the Jefferson City branch of the Mid-Missouri PFLAG chapter! We provide support, education and advocacy for everyone affected by the issues related to sexual orientation and identity: a young person struggling with sexual or gender identity, a father struggling with a son’s sexual identity, a mother risking loss of custody, an employee experiencing discrimination, an activist fighting for equality, a gay couple just wanting to live a quiet, small-town life, friends who want to dance without people staring.

In many states and communities, much progress has been made on these issues, but in Jefferson City, people are still at risk because of their sexuality doesn’t conform to a narrow perception of what’s natural. Columbia, for instance, has an ordinance against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but in Jeff City you can be fired because your boss thinks you might be gay.

PFLAG is the only group organized to publicly promote the well-being of the LGBT community in Jefferson City. Our priorities now include ending discrimination and working for safe schools.

Jefferson City PFLAG meets at 7 pm on the third Monday of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1021 Northeast Drive: halfway between Missouri Blvd and Stadium Blvd on Southwest Blvd, turn east on Woodclift Dr (between United Way and Merrell University); go one block then turn left on Northeast.

For more information leave a message on the UU answering machine:
573 636 0684. Or call President Don Love, 573 875 7918.

Please remember that privacy is often a major concern for those attending our meetings. People often share concerns here that they are not ready to share with the public. We are all responsible for maintaining confidentiality.

Remember also that some people are desperate for support and some people are eager to win equal rights. Some people just want to live normal lives and some people want to correct the injustices of society. Some people put emphasis on the traditional values of personal responsibility and some people emphasize the need for society to provide a safety net for those who are at risk.

We come together at PFLAG meetings with widely varying needs and beliefs. We respect all religious beliefs (and secular, humanist perspectives) but we are not sectarian. We respect various political affiliations but we are interested in policies, not politics. We need to always be ready to listen with respect to whatever anyone is moved to share with us, especially when we disagree.

PFLAG Update 2/18/08

Progress report:

1. The Central Chapter of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare has started work on a public event featuring the importance of anti-bullying efforts in schools. A similar event was sponsored by the city of Columbia last year; I plan to be in touch with the person who organized it.

2. I’m scheduled to talk with a couple Columbia people about ways to increase business support for the LGBT community. We’ll take up the idea of honoring businesses that practice non-discrimination.

3. Promo’s LGBT Equality Day is Wednesday, March 26, 9 am to 4 pm at the state capitol. For more information and to register go to:

http://eqfed.org/promomissouri/events/equalityday2007_clone_1149004/details.tcl?

4. The Center Project is hosting a workshop for Equality Day, “Talking with Legislators about GLBTQ Issues” this Saturday, March 15, 11 to 1 at the Columbia UU Church, 2615 Shepherd (Hwy 63; left on Stadium; turn right at first light on Audubon; turn right on Shepherd). For more information and to register, go to http://www.thecenterproject.org/activities.html

Don Love

Scott O’Kelley, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Erika Patterson, Licensed Psychologist, talked about their LGBT-friendly practices in Jefferson City and asked about the history and programs of PFLAG in order to see how they might be of greater help.

Three Methodist Moms