PFLAG Motivates Advocates by “Fighting for Our Pride”

WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, hundreds of parents, LGBTQ+ people and allies gathered virtually to become part of the first cohort of advocates trained through PFLAG’s Fighting for Our Pride campaign. The national advocacy initiative had been unveiled during Banned Books Week at the 2025 PFLAG National Convention in Chicago on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day. Through the campaign, parents, allies and advocates across the country are training to mobilize locally in defense of LGBTQ+ inclusive education and health, and to advocate for the dignity and safety of LGBTQ+ people.

“Fighting for Our Pride is about turning momentum into action,” said Katie Blair (she/her), Vice President of Advocacy for PFLAG National. “We are experiencing a moment of history marked by threats to the education, health, and safety of the LGBTQ+ community from officials at every level of government, and across the country, parents and loved ones are rising to the occasion. This moment is made for the courageous love and actions of the parents and LGBTQ+ people of PFLAG — because love and liberty are inseparable.”

Since January, PFLAG and its partners have tracked over 600 bills in state legislatures that have sought to reduce or eliminate access to inclusive books and education, transgender healthcare, or the basic rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people, from drivers licenses to marriage and more. By joining Fighting for Our Pride, advocates will gain tools and training secure:

• Safe & Supportive Learning: Create safe and inclusive learning environments by actively opposing book bans, curriculum censorship, forced outing policies, bans on transgender student athletes, and discriminatory “Don’t Say LGBTQ” laws.
• Access to Care & Privacy: Defend access to gender-affirming care and protect the privacy of LGBTQ+ individuals.
• Dignity & Recognition: Confront anti-LGBTQ+ measures that seek to erase our community and ensure full recognition and dignity in public life for LGBTQ+ people, including challenging restrictions on access to public facilities, opposing bans on updating identity documents, and defending the right to same-sex marriage.

During the Fighting for Our Pride training, parents engaged in defending LGBTQ+ inclusive education with PFLAG Greensboro, N.C. shared the power of local advocacy by establishing a presence at school board meetings and developing relationships with lawmakers and with other community organizations. Parents also shared how they got started in local advocacy, despite having no experience, yet their commitment led to successfully preventing a book ban in their school district.

“Anti-LGBTQ+ officials are trying to wear us down and intimidate us into silence; in fact, they’re counting on it. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines while leaders break our trust. Now is the time to take action, and you can do that with PFLAG,” said Blair. To join Fighting for Our Pride, visit PFLAG.org/FightingForOurPride.