Dear Texas PFLAGers: As you know, Lambda Legal, the ACLU, the ACLU of Texas, and the Transgender Law Center, along with the law firms Scott, Douglass & McConnico LLP and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, are suing the State of Texas to block SB14, the state’s recently enacted discriminatory ban on medical care for transgender youth.
PFLAG National is proud to serve as a plaintiff in this case on behalf of our members in Texas, alongside GLMA (Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality); five families from across the state with transgender children and adolescents; and Doctors Richard Ogden Roberts III, David L. Paul, and Patrick O’Malley, who treat transgender youth with gender dysphoria.
SB14 prohibits medical professionals from providing necessary and life-saving medical treatments for gender dysphoria to Texas’s transgender adolescents, strips adolescents of the medically necessary care they have already been or were planning to soon be receiving, threatens the licenses of physicians providing the established standard of care to their transgender patients, and bars the payment of state dollars, including state-funded health insurance plans and Medicaid, to any health care entity providing or facilitating that care.
If you have questions, please feel free to connect with us at txlegal@pflag.org, which will ensure that all of the appropriate people at PFLAG National and from our legal team are included. Thank you again for all that you do every day for LGBTQ+ people in your community and across the country. - Team PFLAG National Have a legal question/concern about impacts on Texas' LGBTQ communities? Send them to txlegal@pflag.org
Join Us For A Community Update & Townhall: Trans Youth Healthcare in Texas
Join Transgender Education Network of Texas and their partners on Dec. 14, 2023 at 7:00 pm, for a discussion about the status of healthcare for trans youth in Texas and to include a look at the lawsuits and what support and options are available. There will be time at the end for discussion. Each participant joining the meeting from separate devices must register to get their unique log in. Please note that TENT does enter program participants information into our secure organizational database to track the services provided. For more information about this, please see https://bit.ly/TENTData
It’s that time of year again! For many of you, your annual membership is or will be up for renewal in Oct-Dec. Please renew if it’s time. We need and value your support. If you are unsure of your renewal date, please reach out via email at helplinepflaghouston@gmail.com Join us in our mission and be part of our rainbow. PFLAG Houston is one of nearly 500 chapters of PFLAG National. Membership in the Houston chapter includes membership in the national organization.
Your membership
Gives us strength and stability in numbers
Provides financial support for our mission
Provides leverage when we apply for grants
You can pay directly online and the form will capture your membership information OR you can print out the membership form and mail it in with a check. Thank you! Mail a check to: PFLAG Houston P.O. Box 667655 Houston, TX 77266-7655
Houston PFLAG is creating an Advisory Committee. The committee will meet with board members in supporting specific events or issues that advance PFLAG's pillars of Education, Support and Advocacy. This opportunity is ideal for any past board members who wish to lend their expertise and experience but cannot commit to a full board position. This is also an opportunity for those who are curious about supporting PFLAG's mission but would prefer to take a "soft" entry into service for the organization and PFLAG community. This committee would be ideal for those who wish to support particular high points of activity through the calendar (ex. PRIDE), or wish to focus on pillar-specific areas (ex. Rotating in to respond to calls into the Helpline). Please reach out to HelplinePFLAGHouston@gmail.com if you'd like to learn more.
What is PFLAG?
When your child or loved one comes to you and shares that they are LGBTQ, you may not know where to even begin to show them you love and support them. PFLAG is made up of moms, dads, family, and friends who can help by sharing their stories and experiences. You have a home at PFLAG. You can talk to a volunteer for support by calling the Helpline at 713-46-PFLAG (713-467-3524) or by email at HelplinePFLAGHouston@gmail.com. When calling, please leave a message and a volunteer will call you back.
Our general meetings are held in person at the Montrose Center on the second Sunday of each month. These monthly meetings feature announcements and an educational program focusing on issues impacting the LGBTQ community and those who love them (some months have a social event instead). PFLAG Houston also holds weekly peer-led confidential support groups in various locations around the Houston area. We support each other by sharing our stories, both the good and the difficult. Please see below for schedule and locations. Children and youth are welcome to attend general meetings, but support groups are most appropriate for adults. Hatch Jr., a youth program of the Montrose Center for ages 7-12, is held at the same time as our general meetings.
Come Join Us at the December General Meeting (12/10)!
The December General Meeting will be held Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 2:00 PM at the Montrose Center, rooms 112/113.
This meeting's focus will be a social event for members, and those wishing to learn more about PFLAG. We will host a Holiday cardmaking activity for families accompanied with refreshments. The kiddos from Hatch Jr. will be welcome to join in the fun!
Hatch Jr. for children aged 7-12 yrs. will run at the same time.
Small support groups will begin at 3:15 pm in rooms 112/113 and last about an hour. Hatch Jr. programming will run during this time as well.
Pearland Support Group 2:00-3:00 pm Mosaic Church 11901 Shadow Creek Pkwy Suite #133 Pearland, TX 77584
Second Sunday of the Month: General Meeting
General Meeting Presentation (In Person or Online): 2:00-3:00 pm Support Groups (In Person Only): 3:15-4:15 pm The Montrose Center 401 Branard St Houston, TX 77006 Room 113/114
To view the presentation online, register via Zoom using the link below: (No Zoom in December)
¡Muchas gracias por su interés en nuestras reuniones de la comunidad latina! Estamos agradecidos por la comunidad que pudimos crear y por la oportunidad de verlos a todos en este espacio. Este mensaje sirve como un recordatorio de nuestra próxima reunión el jueves,6 de Diciembre a las 9pm tiempo este / 8pm tiempo central / 6pm tiempo del pacifico. Si no pudieron reunirse con nosotros la última vez, por favor reúnense con nosotros esta vez. ¡Espermos verlos allá! Encuentren más información sobre PFLAG Connects: Latino y nuestros recursos (incluyendo reuniones de nuestros capítulos).
Thank you for your interest in our Latino community meetings! We are so grateful for the community we created and for the opportunity to see everyone in this space. This email serves as a reminder that our next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 6th at 9pm ET / 8pm CT / 6pm PT. If you weren’t able to join us last time, no worries! You are more than welcome to join us this time around. We look forward to seeing you there! Find more information about PFLAG Connects: Latino and other Latino resources (including chapter meetings) at the link below
Katy Support Group 7:00-8:00 pm First Christian Church (FCC) 22101 Morton Ranch Rd Katy, TX 77449
Fourth Sunday of the Month: In Person
NOTE: NO MEETINGS NOV & DEC, 2023
Clear Lake Support Group 2:00-3:30 pm Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church 17503 El Camino Real, Houston, TX 77058 (under the water tower)
Calling all volunteers! We need your help! PFLAG Houston is searching for board members! In particular, we need a Treasurer and Education chair. If you are interested in helping, you will have the chance to shadow the outgoing board member to learn the role. New board members will start January 1st, 2024. Email us or talk to one of the current board members at the next general meeting if you're interested! PFLAG Houston is looking for people to join our volunteer list for community events such as tabling and speaking engagements. Joining the list will let you get emails when one of these opportunities comes up, and if it's something you're interested in, just reply back and we can set you up with everything you need to represent PFLAG at the event.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call 911 You can talk to a volunteer for support by calling the Helpline at 713-46-PFLAG (713-467-3524) or by email at HelplinePFLAGHouston1@gmail.com. When calling, please leave a message and a volunteer will call you back. For general inquiries, please email HelplinePFLAGHouston@gmail.com