Spring forward doesn’t just mean it’s time to change our clocks. Spring forward also means it’s a ripe time to take action.
We’re about a month into the new season, one that I’ve always associated with the idea of a fresh start. To me, it’s about taking good intentions and putting them into practice.
That certainly applies to the work we’re doing at PFLAG Portland. I hope you’re seeing it and feeling it because I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve done so far and what we aim to do as an organization as the year spools out.
As the year began, we collaborated with three nonprofit allies to present an online panel discussion that brought together legal, medical and political experts who addressed top-of-mind concerns such as health care access for trans people.
We tweaked our schedule of monthly meetings to place more emphasis on in-person gatherings and allow more time for guest speakers. We’ve got a couple of excellent speakers lined up for our next Saturday chapter meeting on April 26 at Friendly House: Brandy Penner and Stacey Rice, both of whom are contributors to Defiant Voices, a forthcoming anthology of stories meant to push back against “a troubling political landscape where oppressive anti-trans legislation jeopardizes safety, dignity, and access to gender-affirming care.”
Following our regular discussion on the 26th, we’ll launch a new feature: an additional hour of conversation focused on transgender issues. The extra hour was suggested by a trio of parents of transgender youth, who visualize taking a deeper dive into what can we do as individuals and together to advocate for their children and others within the trans community.
What else are we doing?
Recently, we awarded four $250 mini-grants to GSA/QSA clubs in east Multnomah County high schools and middle schools to support student-led projects that increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ youth in schools and the broader community.
This, too, represents another step forward as our GSA mini-grants program had been dormant through the pandemic. There was no better time than now to revive the program, considering the current challenges facing transgender students and queer youth.
With the start of Pride season approaching, we’ve scheduled a “Tabling 101” workshop on May 14 to train those of you who’d like to volunteer at a tabling event but don’t know what it involves. The one-hour tutorial, beginning at 6:00 pm at Friendly House, will touch on the basics of set-up, a review of our publications and giveaway items, and tips for engaging with the public.
For the baseball fans among us, pencil in July 24 so you can join us at Pride Night with the Hillsboro Hops minor league baseball team. We’ve been invited to table on the main concourse before the game in exchange for free tickets. Plus, we’ll take the opportunity to fundraise through the sale of tickets to friends, family, and others in our networks. It should be fun.
I think all of us were feeling high anxiety as the year began with a new federal administration. But thanks to successful legal challenges to some of those executive orders, and thanks to the full-throated “Hands Off” protests that we saw in Portland and other cities across the country this past weekend, I’m feeling more optimistic about 2025.
PFLAG Portland has been around since 1982, guided by a three-pronged mission to support, educate and advocate. During the 1990s and early 2000s, this chapter helped defeat four anti-gay statewide initiatives. We’re at it again, working with Basic Rights Oregon in support of a ballot measure campaign that will affirm the right to abortion, contraception and IVF, transgender health care, and same-gender marriage in the Oregon Constitution. We aren’t going anywhere, that’s for certain. If anything, let’s all work together to spring forward on these various fronts and set the stage for a great summer.
George Rede
Chapter President