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“We Are Family” is the theme of the 15th annual Family Matters Conference, a gathering hosted by Philadelphia Family Pride (PFP), which will take place on Nov. 2 at Parkway Central Library.
Yes, that theme is a nod to the famous Sister Sledge song — but PFP executive director Sandra Telep said it also refers to the chosen family LGBTQ+ people find at conferences and events like this one. Telep said 100 to 150 registrants are expected to attend — including families who travel from out of state to connect with PFP annually, making the conference feel a bit like a family reunion for some.
“[LGBTQ+ families] create this village where we all kind of look out for each other,” she said, noting that the PFP community supported her through some of the hardest years of her life.
Telep said it’s powerful to recognize the relationship between that village and each individual family — noting PFP’s intentional shift recently to make space for experiences that don’t fit within the LGBTQ+ version of a traditional nuclear family. For instance, PFP recently hosted a brunch for single parents and will continue to offer it as an ongoing event due to a need in the community.
While the organization has evolved over the past 15 years, Telep explained that the group has always been interested in learning more about how to show up for each other. That’s meant planning for mutual aid, centering intersectionality, and listening closely to the requests of the community for program development.
“That is usually where our most powerful things come from — from the community telling us what they need,” Telep explained, adding that organizers pay attention to what resources, conversations, and logistics would be useful to LGBTQ+ families as they plan for the annual conference too.
“It’s a gathering with intention,” she added. “It recenters us and grounds us and helps us hear from our community — what [they] need and want, and to make sure that you know we’re showing up for those things.”
“I think one thing that’s notable is that it’s for parents by parents,” she added — underlining that this means organizers consider details that often get missed elsewhere, like the need to provide breakfast, lunch and childcare.
Adults can attend workshops about building emergency funds, connecting with trans parents, communication skills, talking with kids about sexuality, addressing queerphobia, navigating difficult relationships given today’s political climate, and more.
One of the reasons this conference is so important, Telep underlined, is that it offers prospective parents and caregivers with young children a time to reflect about the decisions they might need to make now that they’re raising kids.
“I think a lot of us put up with things for family when it’s just us — and then when we have kids, it kind of shifts,” she said about LGBTQ+ people often needing to consider the challenges they’ve encountered with extended family in a way after kids arrive.
Telep said she hopes the conference will not only provide people with new resources and skills but also offer space to feel that their family fits in and belongs and to connect with others going through similar experiences.
Early childhood educators will spend their day with young children singing songs, playing games, and enjoying story time. Older children and young teens will participate in workshops led by COLAGE — an organization whose mission centers people who have LGBTQ+ parents and caregivers. They’ll explore age-appropriate conversations about gender and sexuality and discuss what it’s like to be part of an LGBTQ+ family — including what that means to young people as they develop their own sense of personal identity.
At the end of the day, parents and caregivers are invited to attend an “Ask the Experts” panel, where kids answer questions about their experiences being raised in LGBTQ+ families, share about what they wish the adults in their lives knew when they were younger, and talk about other topics.
Additionally, attendees can attend a screening by a local director of an online series about a donor-conceived child, along with access to a free legal clinic.
The conference operates on a pay-what-you-can model, which Telep said reflects the values LGBTQ+ families stand behind. Those who can help cover the costs of those who can’t afford to give any money continue to step up — allowing people from a diverse variety of lived experiences to attend.
“Conservatives don’t have the corner of family values,” Telep said. “We are families that have strong values. They’re about inclusion and acceptance and support.”
The Family Matters Conference will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m on Nov. 2 at Parkway Central Library,1901 Vine St. For more information or to register, visit pfpconference.org.