I delivered the attached speech at the Pride Day Celebration here in Chattanooga this past weekend and am posing it for those who are interested that could not attend. WHAT IS PFLAG? Thank you for allowing me a few minutes today to tell you a little about the PFLAG Organization. PFLAG is a support group for Parents, Families, and Friends of those in the LGBTQi community. FAMILY is the key word….we are all Family. I am here with my daughter Kat, my daughter- in -law Krista, my wife of 42 years, Linda, my mother and my sister and you and your families…. We are here to stand up for EQUALITY. It is an honor to now serve as the new President of Chattanooga PFLAG . My PFLAG extended family includes Matthew and Francis Nevels who helped found the Chattanooga Chapter over 20 years ago. They have faithfully and courageously guided the group through some very tough times and through personal tragedy and trails that most of us have not had to endured. The LGBTQi community of Chattanooga will forever be indebted to this caring couple…they have set a high standard for what it means to be in the PFLAG family. We are one of over 500 nationwide non- profit chapters with membership exceeding 200,000 people and growing. Our Vision… is a society that that embraces everyone equally with respect, love and dignity. Our Mission …is to promote the health and well being of families. We provide Support to help cope with an adverse society. We promote Education to enlighten an ill-informed public. We are Advocates to end discrimination. We are engaged in nothing less than a battle. The public side of the battle can be seen daily in the news, on the internet and at public events like today, where people literally put their lives on the line to stand up for an oppressed minority. We have seen the best and the worst of humanity in our city recently. For example, Health benefits were granted by the city commission to the LGBTQi City employees only to be reversed. A small turn out of voters motivated by religious bigotry and a regressive political ideology embarrassed our City. Let me emphasize an important point !...while those who are motivated by selfishness and hatred do stand in the way of EQUALITY…they are Not our worst enemy. APATHY, INDIFFERENCE and IGNORANCE are the enemy These enablers allow the Majority to turn a blind eye to the oppression. The Tyranny of the Majority is very real. Only informed families, like yours, with love in your hearts and fire in your belly, will speak up, and stand up to end discrimination in all its ugly forms. PFLAG families stand ready and willing fight! • To End Employment Discrimination • To Provide Safe Schools • To Stop Hate Crimes and Violence • To Support Marriage Equality and Adoption • To Support Enlightened Parenting • And to Vote our Values. But,… there is an unseen side of the battle…not talked about…barely noticed …in the shadows and unresolved. There is a side that the majority will not see, will not experience or understand. It is the Collateral Damage to families fighting the battle for EQUALITY. The tears, the heart break, the suffering and the broken spirits of many families are Invisible to the majority. PFLAG stands in that gap. WE provide support to families that have become collateral damage and who are considered expendable to the bigots and bullys of the world. This Collateral Damage includes: • Persons and families who are afraid of public retribution from being outed. • Victims of public, school and workplace bullying. • Institutional discrimination. • Medical discrimination. • Physical violence • Verbal abuse. • Abandonment by family and friends. • Faith based bigotry . • And regrettably, ...Suicide. Chattanooga is at a cross roads. Will we allow of bullying, hatred and discrimination by extreme political ideologues and religious bigots define our City? OR…will we stand for EQUALITY . THAT is our choice. The world is watching. With the help of everyone of You here today, and all those you influence, WE will go forward in making Chattanooga a City of Light…a city that stands up for EQUALITY. On the behalf of PFLAG, I Thank you being here today. I am very proud to stand with you. by Hunt Cooper
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 04:34:46 +0000