After enjoying a great meal in William Street and, of course, a nice drop of red, we walked up to take our place of pride – in fourth position immediately behind the Out in Perth truck! – for the Gay Pride March. We unfurled our banners, poked in our spikes, held them high, with huge smiles all round: ‘PFLAG – We are proud of our gay and lesbian children’.
Last year, as we celebrated PFLAG’s 20th Anniversary, we had a float. Awesome! This year, as in previous, we walked. – or stomped – or jived – through the streets. One of our members was not able to walk the distance so she took first place in a wheelchair pushed by her gay son. Wonder if my daughter will be willing to do that for me in a few years time?
The atmosphere was electric. Stomping, rocking music, men and women in various, outrageous, colourful, extravagant costume; everyone bomping and swaying to a conglomeration of tunes. Must admit, I looked wistfully at those in their fabulous costumes and then gazed down at my feet ensconced in my solid walkers – the prelude to the wheelchair, perhaps?
We were given the all clear, started the march down William Street and into James Street. The crowds both side of the roads cheered and roared all the way when we approached them..
‘They love us!’ my banner carrying partner called out.
‘Yep! They sure do.’ I excitedly replied, thinking to myself – As much as we love them.
As always, the number of ‘older’ members of the audience/watchers intrigued me. Are they parents of gay/lesbian children? Are they here to support their children? Or are they just curious? The looks on their faces certainly conveyed to me that they were enjoying the parade.
How can we entice them – or if not them, other parents/friends – to support us? For twenty years, PFLAG has met monthly to offer support to parents and friends of offspring who ‘come out’. We man – although we should perhaps say wo-man – a 24 hr telephone service and are always there for ‘new’ parents. Hardly a month goes by when a ‘new’ parent does not show up at our meeting. We welcome them warmly with great love. We know they derive much comfort and support and help.
As often happens in all organisations, when a person has met his/her needs, they often do not hang around. And that is okay. That is what PFLAG is about – to offer support and help and love to parents in a time of great need. We are happy we achieve our outcomes, the purpose of our being.
However, we do need others to ‘hang’ in there. We do need other parents who are willing to offer a hand of support to ‘new’ parents, to man/woman our help line, to attend meetings, to be there for others, to offer whatever help we can.
Three members who were the original ‘harbingers’ of PFLAG, parents who stood side by side and offered their support in the struggle of the late 80s for legal acceptance of same sex orientation, are still loyal members of the PFLAG committee. Never do I cease to experience a huge depth of thankfulness to them.
But we are getting older – yes, in the not-too-distant years to come, I may need to rely on my daughter to push me in a wheelchair in order to take part in the Pride March, something I so enjoy, something I – and all members of PFLAG – believe we must do.
There are ‘younger’ parents out there.
We invite you to return to us, to connect with us, to stay with us, so that the sons and daughters of the future – and their parents – will receive the necessary support to acknowledge their right to their sexual orientation and their right to be themselves – fully human and alive. The right to celebrate, to march down the streets of Perth and declare:
‘Hey, here I am – and I am okay.’
Elizabeth Brennan
Secretary PFLAG Perth WA
Telephone: 9228 1005
Email: pflagwa@hotmail.com
