From: Heather Wright Subject: PFLAG Board Sets New Leadership, Moves Forward on Vital Issues Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 10:24:00 -0400 For Immediate Release: September 27, 1999 Contact: Eric Ferrero, 202-638-4200 x212 PFLAG Board Sets Leadership for New Millennium, Moves Forward on Issues Vital to Families Nationwide The National Board of Directors of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) met in Chicago Sept. 25 and 26 to set its 1999-2000 leadership, and to take action on several issues of importance to families with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered loved ones. Two new members - Walter Schubert and Dody Goldstein - were elected to PFLAG's National Board of Directors. Schubert, who is founder and chairman of gfn.com, The Gay Financial Network, was the youngest-ever and first openly-gay member of the New York Stock Exchange. Goldtsein, who was among the first women in history to attend Harvard Medical School, is the proud mother of a gay son. She is a longtime PFLAG leader and progressive activist in Palo Alto, California. Robert Goodwin, President and CEO of the Points of Light Institute, was reelected to the Board, as was Waltrene Swanston, Executive Director of Unity: Journalists of Color. Kelly Kirby, a certified public accountant and activist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also was reelected to the Board. "PFLAG's Board is truly unique. There are 21 of us - from 16 states, truly representing the grassroots diversity of PFLAG," said Board President Rev. Paul Beeman. "And first and foremost, we are a working Board, dedicated to seeing that all Americans - including our wonderful gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered loved ones - are treated with respect and dignity." Two new members were elected to PFLAG's Regional Directors' Council, a 14-member group that starts, nurtures and represents PFLAG chapters nationwide. PFLAG members in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota elected John Lindgren Northern Plains Regional Director. Lindgren served as mayor of Fargo, North Dakota, from 1978 to 1994. Rev. Ken Prunty was elected Mountain West Regional Director by PFLAG members in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Prunty, an ordained minister in the Church of God, has three children, including a gay son. Three Regional Directors were reelected to another two-year term. PFLAG members in Southern California and Hawaii reelected John Cooley Southern Pacific Regional Director. Cooley, who has a gay son, is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department. Carole Benowitz was reelected Gulf Regional Director by PFLAG members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. Benowitz, who is active in the Women's League for Conservative Judaism and several other groups, has a daughter and a gay son. PFLAG members in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania reelected Melina Waldo Pocono Regional Director. Waldo is a former high school teacher who has worked in recent years as a social worker with at-risk students. The Board elected Gary Watts to serve as its Secretary. Watts, who has six children and three grandchildren, works within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) to make that religion more welcoming and accepting. In 1993, their gay son was excommunicated from the Mormon Church because he was open and honest about his sexual orientation. In addition to setting what Beeman termed "extraordinary" leadership, PFLAG's National Board acted on several items, including: * Solidified plans to file an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief, if Boy Scouts of America (BSA) appeals the New Jersey Supreme Court's ruling that BSA's policies discriminate based on sexual orientation. (PFLAG has already secured top-notch legal counsel to prepare the brief, which would be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. PFLAG filed an amicus brief when the case was before the New Jersey court.) * Selected Salt Lake City, Utah, as the site of its Annual Membership Meeting in October 2001. * Reaffirmed its position prioritizing education of lawmakers and the public about the need for language that includes gender-variant people in the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), but supporting the current bill if it comes before the House or Senate for a vote. * Discussed and solidified plans for "PFLAG: Family Voices for Equality," PFLAG's National Conference, which will take place April 28-30, 2000, in Washington, DC. Workshops, high-profile speakers, networking opportunities, a Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, a youth and education gathering and other unique, PFLAG-specific events are planned for the conference, for which several hundred families from throughout America have already registered. * Passed several organizational policy statements, including one calling on faith/spiritual communities to be welcoming and accepting, and another encouraging people to participate in National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11). * Heard reports from PFLAG's Regional Directors' Council, which outlined the innovative and critical support, education and advocacy work of PFLAG's 430 local chapters. The Council also reported that new chapters are forming in many regions nationwide. The next meeting of PFLAG's National Board of Directors is set for Jan. 14 and 15 in Washington, DC. (FYI, separate press releases for each of the three reelected Board members, the two new Board members and the two new Regional Directors were sent to local media in their communities. Please e-mail hwright@pflag.org if you would like any of those releases.) Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families & friends through support, education, and advocacy. Serving nearly 77,000 members & supporters, PFLAG affiliates are located in 430 communities in the U.S. 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1030, Washington, DC 20005 . phone: 202-638-4200 fax: 202-638-0243 Email info@pflag.org Web http://www.pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe from PFLAG's Email Alert, send an email, subject line "unsubscribe" to info@pflag.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~