Organization "Gay Alliance Ukraine" set up a new work direction – work with parents, friends and relatives of LGBT people.
According to psychologist of our organization Valentina Gladun, the importance of this work cannot be understated: "Unfortunately, cases when parents react negatively finding out about homosexuality of their child are not uncommon. Whether they kick them out of house, or try to "cure", re-educate and persuade to quit "bad habit". Fear of such a reaction to a large extent nurtures internal homophobia and gets the atmosphere in the family worse. If we set up a goal to increase the visibility of LGBT people in society, then we should start precisely with the family. Nothing can scare after coming out to your parents".
The first step in development of this work direction is creating of Parent Club. The main goal of it is to build a comfort and secure space for parents and relatives of LGBT community representatives.
Meetings in the Club will be interesting both for parents who just recently discovered homosexuality of their children and who realized and accepted it a long time ago. You will receive help and support, as well as will be able to share your experience, which may be useful for others. We invite to participate in the Club meetings LGBT community representatives who experience difficulties in relationships with loved ones because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Creation of such a club can make significant influence on changes in attitudes of Ukrainian society toward homosexuals in a more positive way. As an example can be shown the activities of the National American organization PFLAG – "Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays". Its first meeting was held in 1973 and as of today PFLAG counts in its ranks millions of members. Similar organizations operate in many other countries, from Poland and Germany to Australia, supporting their families and raising awareness of society about homosexuality. "We are parents, family members and friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, and we want to build a society where people will respect each other, – claim in PFLAG. – We provide support for homosexuals and tend to debunk stereotypes to end discrimination and to ensure equal rights. We want to build a world where gay people could use all privileges of civil and legal equality". It is unlikely that Ukrainian LGBT parents will not agree with this statement.
As of today two meetings of the Club were held in a format of support group for parents. In the next few months UPO "Gay Alliance Ukraine" is planning to continue this work through a number of activities and events, including – film shows, workshops, master classes and simply a heartful meetings. Parent Club will be held once or twice a month. Please follow the announcements on our portal!
Автор: Gay Alliance Ukraine
