In keeping with its theme of “mind, body and soul,” Philadelphia Family Pride’s annual conference will include a keynote address by the state’s physician general — and, for the first time, will be held at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The Oct. 17 Family Matters Conference is geared toward LGBT parents at all steps of the family-building process, said PFP executive director Stephanie Haynes.
“We definitely get a mix of people,” Haynes said. “We get a lot of prospective parents and some people who think, We want to do this but don’t know where to start, so we have some good workshops for those folks. This year we wanted to also cater to people who’ve started the adoption process or are trying to get pregnant. We also get parents who’ve already had kids, from infants up to teens. So having all those parents all at different stages together helps them get a lot out of their interactions.”
Haynes said the conference’s focus has evolved with the changing environment for LGBT family-building.
“As our families get more recognition, with marriage equality and portrayals in the media, the needs have shifted,” she said. “There are still very specific things LGBT parents need to think about, but we’ve seen that our parents also want sessions that could be applied to any parent, like the challenges of parenting a teen.”
In that vein, the conference also offers an Ask the Expert panel, where participants can hear from youth of LGBT parents.
“It’s been great to see these young people sit up in front of the parents and talk about what it’s been like for them to grow up in a household with LGBT parents,” Haynes said. “Having them tell their stories and having the parents ask questions is really heartening, especially for the parents, who can say, ‘Wow, these kids are really OK.’”
New this year is a “Treat Yourself Room,” which allows participants, whether they’re parents or not, to kick back and relax.
“Sometimes people don’t want a whole day of structured workshops, they might need an hour to relax,” Haynes said. “So we’re going to have massage chairs, acupuncture, coloring books for adults … just relaxed time where people can sit and chat.”
Another session expected to be popular this year is the keynote address by Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s physician general and the state’s highest-ranking transgender public official.
“With the theme being ‘mind, body and soul’ and knowing it was going to be at Children’s Hospital, we knew we wanted to have a medical professional as the keynote speaker,” Haynes said. “And almost immediately, we were all like, ‘Rachel Levine.’ There really was no one else on the list and thankfully we thought of her early enough to be able to get on her schedule.”
CHOP’s partnership has been important, Haynes added.
“They’ve supported us in every possible way,” she said.
Linda Hawkins, CHOP family-services specialist who focuses on LGBT issues in the hospital network, said the hospital has had a growing relationship with PFP and was eager to step up as host this year.
Planning has gone smoothly, she said.
“The crew at PFP, with Stephanie at the helm, is a well-oiled machine,” she said. “It’s been great getting people in the community in to meet people at the hospital and creating a community connection here.”
Hawkins added that the tie-in among Levine’s keynote, the host site and the event theme will make for a cohesive conference.
“Having a medical leader delivering the keynote at a hospital with the ‘mind, body and soul’ theme all goes together well,” she said. “And it ties in with our mission: Even though we’re a hospital, we’re not just focused on illness or accidents — health and wellness are a big part of our focus.”
The Family Matters Conference will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 17 at CHOP, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard. Registration is $20 for PFP members and $30 for non-PFP members, which includes lunch, garage parking and childcare.
For more information or to register, visit http://philadelphiafamilypride.org/family-matters-conference.