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PORTLAND OREGON
Warn-
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
A la C a rte M enu
no w a v a ila b le
503 249-5001
-
Tuesday — Saturday 5 30 9 30
1303 NE Fremont St
www.creolapdx.com
THE FINEST PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
For your team, club, group, or event.
'W e
Meet the parents
can put your logo on almost anything!"
coffee mugsapensashirtsahatsajacketsa and more
A d van ced
Im p r e s s io n s
In c .
Betcha didn’t know half the members are gays and lesbians
In house art department
In house screen printing
Large or small orders
Call for a quote anytime.
601 S.E. Hawthorne blvd. Portland, OR. 97214
ph.503-239-7047
fx.503-239-6007
www.advancedimpressions.com
Continued from Page l
partygoers will be entertained by members of the
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, singer/songwriter
Juliet Wyers and Terra, a duo Fain likens to the
Indigo Girls. So if you hate the holidays because
you have no welcoming place to go, don’t miss
this chance to wallow in a room overflowing
with unconditional love and acceptance.
t all started in 1972, when Jeanne Manford
marched shoulder to shoulder with her gay son
in New York City’s Gay Pride Parade. The next
year she started the first PFLAG group to help
people better understand and support their sexual
minority friends and family members, to educate
the public and to advocate for equal rights.
The Portland chapter meets monthly in a
group of rooms graciously provided by First
United Methodist Church. Each gathering is
different, but some aspects are constant. A l
though the chapter has hundreds of members,
about 40 folks braved the stormy weather for
the November meeting.
Things get started with announcements,
and Poison Waters stops by to thank folks for
their support in her recent election as Rose
Court Empress. Thoughtful moms even present
her with a congratulatory bouquet of flowers.
Waters notes PFLAG has a strong link to the
Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, which donated
$4,000 to the chapter during the past year.
A bearded man stands to announce he’s
playing Santa this year at a shopping mall.
Seated nearby is a gay teen who has been com
ing alone for months and has brought his shy
mom to the meeting for the first time. She is
immediately made welcome.
The attendees eventually divide into small
er discussion groups, each heading off to a sepa
rate room with a trained facilitator. There,
with anonymity and confidentiality assured,
people are encouraged to share what they are
dealing with in their lives.
One emotional 30-something man reveals a
sibling has outed him to his conservative par
ents. He asks for advice on what to do next.
A gay man who has attended the meetings
for years replies, “You’ll never find a safer place
to he whoever you are than PFLAG.” He goes
on to point out the hypocrisy of “so-called
Christians who don’t know how to love, even
though that’s what they’re supposed to he all
about.”
One of the parents in the group chimes in:
“I’m so glad I have a gay child. It has so
enriched our lives and opened us up.”
Another gay man counsels him by adding,
“Once you get through the coming-out process,
a stronger bond often forms with your family.”
The whole group later reassembles for a
question-and-answer session. The questions are
anonymous, and anyone is welcome to join in
with an answer. in
Portland*» n ew e st and od giast co ffee, Intern*
p a stry C a fé n estled in downtow n Portland ns
SW S ta rk and 10th avo.
2 4 hours th-sun || 6am - 2am mon - w
Hwveivir rwKKe*
8p-11p every W ed. w ith DJ Tronic a t Heaven
421 SW 14th Av.., M W 14-4014
You’ll never meet a nicer bunch of folks than these
PHOTOS BY MARTY DAVIS
Please join us
and share our passion
for good food
and friendship