Articles From Our November, 2005 Newsletter
MAFA TO BE FEATURED AT OUR NOVEMBER MEETING
Lynn Barnett, of the Midwest Alternative Families Alliance, will be our featured speaker at our upcoming PFLAG meeting on Sunday, November 13, at 3pm.
The mission statement of MAFA states:
“The Midwest Alternative Families Alliance advocates for equal consideration of gay and lesbian adults who apply to adopt or foster children in state custody. Our stance is based not only on the personal and professional knowledge, experience, and values of our members, but also on current social science research about children in gay and lesbian families.”
MAFA formed in 2002 to formalize the effort to gather information about: “ Alternative families” in the Midwest and the need for waiting children to live in permanent, stable homes; and the commitment by interested gay and lesbian parents to meet that need.
MAFA seeks to document and examine the successes, the barriers, and the obstacles facing waiting children, alternative families, state child welfare services, the court system, and the communities in our region.
This promises to be a very informative meeting, so bring friends and loved ones and join us at Village Presbyterian Church. There’s always great fellowship and tasty treats for everyone.
See you then!
Greetings all. October was a wonderful month for PFLAG. Many LGBT-inspired events encompassed the Kansas City area. We had our usual table at “Out in Westport”. What I particularly love about this event is its community feel. I look forward to seeing people from many of the support and advocacy organizations that we seldom have an opportunity to touch base with. The entertainment was top notch and a good time was had by all. Next up was our annual taco dinner with Passages. Because October is national “coming out” month, it seems appropriate to share our stories and to hear from the youth. Some are old pros at sharing and others open up for the first time….this time there was a young lady who shared what it was like coming out as the child of a gay parent. Although we share some laughs there are always those stories that cut you to the quick and make you want to open your heart even wider in the hopes that those kids with tragic circumstances might feel the love and acceptance we want for them all. I applaud their shared sense of community and for the tireless work of the Passages board, the facilitators and the volunteers. Whenever I have an occasion to hang out with these kids I leave with a renewed vision and strength of purpose—to help keep families together. It’s great that they have one another and a space to feel welcomed and affirmed but I want more—I want them all to have that at home as well. I promise to keep plugging away and I know you will too.
NFL Commissioner Honored with Gay Son
By Cyd Zeigler jr.
Outsports.com
Updated October 14, 2005, 6:30pm
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his wife, Chandler, were honored Monday night by the New York chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays with the PFLAG 2005 Stay Close Individual Leadership Award. Tagliabue had given a sizable donation to PFLAG for the campaign. Tagliabue's son, Drew, is openly gay.
Paul Tagliabue and his family have been strong supporters of PFLAG's Stay Close campaign since its inception, according to the program's co-founder, Suzanne Ramos. The program consists of print advertisements featuring famous people and their gay relatives. Featured pairs include Cyndi Lauper and her sister, Elen; Ben Affleck and his cousin Jason; and at Monday's event, PFLAG unveiled the latest ad: Rosario Dawson & her gay uncle, Frank. Drew Tagliabue is also a co-founder of the campaign.
Ramos said that PFLAG is now actively pursuing athletes to feature with their gay relatives.
Paul Tagliabue spoke at the dinner about his love for Drew and Drew's partner, Mark Jones. He also discussed the important, positive impact of PFLAG's Stay Close campaign and how he has been struck by the quality and uplifting character of the campaign.
Chandler Tagliabue delivered remarks regarding her love for her children, Drew and Emily, and her distaste for the hijacking of "family values" by a select group in this country.
The group's Annual Dinner, hosted by Queer Eye's Kyan Douglas, was held at the Tribeca Rooftop at 2 Desbrosses Street. Others in attendance at the dinner included Cyndi Lauper (who sang "True Colors"), New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, former NFL player Esera Tuaolo, and former high school football player Corey Johnson. Kraft is a close friend of the NFL commissioner and he donated $5,000 for the dinner.
A graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts, Drew Tagliabue, 36, is an associate with Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search firm. According to the firm's Web site, "With his international business experience, Drew also has expertise in cross-border and cross-cultural recruiting for international clients."
In fact, he's so good at international recruiting that he managed to bring Jones, his partner of over 10 years, to the United States from Australia in 2002.
While it's incredibly positive that the commissioner of the NFL is so supportive of PFLAG, that doesn't necessarily translate to across-the-board gay-positive policies at the NFL.
On the bright side, the NFL does have a non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation in its employee handbook. The NFL League offices also offer same-sex domestic partner benefits. Paul also has reportedly included Drew in league sensitivity training about gay issues.
Still, it's good to know that someone who is sensitive to gay-rights issues is leading the charge of America's most successful, and most hyper-masculinized, sports organization.
http://outsports.com/nfl/2005/1013tagliabue.htm
“In 1995, my partner and I began the search to adopt a child or children from the state welfare system and were systematically turned away because we were a same sex couple. We then made the choice to adopt a child internationally. In 1997, we brought home our daughter from China and became a family of three. In the years following, we deepened our family bonds but our arms and hearts ached for a little boy to complete our home. In 2001, we brought home our little boy from Cambodia.”
“Our family is like all of the other families in our neighborhood. We cheer at t-ball games, taxi our kids to soccer practice and music lessons. As a family, we go on vacations, take in the latest movies, and attend family events. My partner and I attend to our children’s homework, meet with the teachers, and read bedtime stories. We are a family like all the other families in our neighborhood except that our children have two moms and they like it that way.”
All children deserve to grow up in a family of their own. Most children don’ t care if they have a mom and dad, a mom, or two dads. They just want a drawer of their own, a place to call home, and people who love and care about who they are and what they want to be when they grow up. Gay and lesbian families are only unique in their family make-up, not in the care and concern in their hearts.
PFLAG SUPPORTS REAL FAMILY VALUES