Members of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays chapters throughout the region will head to Philadelphia later this month to share best practices and work cooperatively to support the LGBT people in their lives.
PFLAG Philadelphia will host the annual North Atlantic Regional Conference at Davio’s Restaurant, 117 S. 17th St., on April 30.
The conference is held at sites throughout the region each year, but Philadelphia hasn’t played host in more than a decade.
When PFLAG National asked the group to stage the event this year, Kim Otto, PFLAG Philadelphia board member and chair of the conference planning committee, said the members were “more than happy” to take on the task.
Otto said the venue-selection process was a bit hectic — due in large part to the wealth of events happening in the city at the end of April — but said Davio’s will be an ideal location for the event, with its vast conference space in the heart of Center City.
More than 50 people have registered so far and are expected to come from throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Washington, D.C.
Conference participants will have breakfast and lunch at the restaurant and take part in a series of workshops led by regional and national speakers.
Steven Goldstein, chair of New Jersey’s Garden State Equality, will head a session on engaging with lawmakers on LGBT-rights issues.
“He’s really the perfect person to do this,” Otto said. “His workshop is going to be very interactive and will basically coach folks about how to speak with their own legislators in order to help the progressive movement and help promote the needs of the LGBT community in their states.”
Dr. Michael LaSala, author of “Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child” and an associate professor at Rutgers University, will speak to the participants about his work counseling families and LGBT individuals.
Jamie Curtis, senior field and policy coordinator at PFLAG National, will lead a workshop designed to give the participants ideas and information about how best to grow and sustain their chapters.
“We have a very dynamic and terrific list of speakers, who are going to offer a lot of really good information,” Otto said.
In addition to the structured discussions, Otto noted the conference will offer myriad opportunities for PFLAG members — as well as nonmembers, who are also welcome to attend — to share ideas and support.
“There is going to be plenty of time for people to make connections with people from other chapters and other states. They’ll be able to learn skills that can help them build their chapters, learn about the issues impacting the LGBT community and their families in different areas and learn from each other’s work,” she said.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with breakfast and the conference starting at 9:15 a.m. The day should wrap up around 3:30 p.m., and guests are also encouraged to attend a PFLAG-sponsored workshop that afternoon at Temple University as part of Equality Forum.
Otto said the Equality Forum events happening that weekend meshed nicely with the conference and provided “added incentive” for guests to see what the city has to offer after the conference.
Registration is $30, and forms are available at www.pflagphila.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected]..