It’s been over six years since I attended my first PFLAG meeting, and the support I continue to get from the community is something I hold close to my heart.”

As an intern at Verizon as part of my MBA program, I was thrilled to hear the news that the company would be partnering with PFLAG National to support LGBTQ+ families. When I met PFLAG Executive Director Brian K. Bond at Verizon’s PRIDE webcast during Pride Month, I shared with him the impact PFLAG has had on my life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story with you.

When I came out to my mother six years ago, my experience was a tumultuous one, and I felt shunned, ignored, and alone. After deciding to seek professional assistance, I went to the LGBTQ+ resource center on my college campus in the hopes of finding resources to help guide my mother through this experience. One of those resources was my local PFLAG chapter in

Northern Virginia.

My mother and I went to our first meeting together, and we were warmly greeted by members who had been attending PFLAG meetings for many years. But despite the open and welcoming environment, the meeting was hard on my mother, as she was not able to yet fully accept who I was. She stopped going after just two meetings.

I was disappointed, but I continued to go to PFLAG meetings by myself. I ended up becoming an active member and keeping the group updated on my relationship with my mother and where she was in terms of accepting me, her gay son. I was one of many younger members of PFLAG seeking advice on how to speak to their parents, while parents sought to learn from my coming-out experience and how best to support their LGBTQ+ children.

It’s been over six years since I attended my first PFLAG meeting, and the support I continue to get from the community is something I hold close to my heart. Because of PFLAG, I have learned how to approach challenging conversations with those that have difficulty understanding what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.

As for my mother? Thanks to the support of PFLAG, I developed a new relationship with her, one that is stronger than ever before. Although there is still work left to be done, she has accepted me for who I am through conversations we gained from PFLAG meetings. Her support gives me the confidence I need to pursue my career goals and educational dreams.

PFLAG is my home away from home, and I cannot thank PFLAGers like you enough. I hope you will open your heart and give generously to PFLAG National right now to help connect and reconnect LGBTQ+ families—just like mine.