Greg Rogers
PFLAG Greenville
About Us
Learn more about PFLAG Greenville
Founded in 1992 by Leslie Johnson and Carole Lender, ours is the longest continually operating chapter in the state of South Carolina. PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQIA+ people, their families, and allies.
Our PFLAG chapter was formed when two Greenville mothers, Leslie and Carole, discovered they had in common the experience of each parenting a gay child. They held their first PFLAG meeting in the fall of 1992, having the courage to go public at a time when it was not popular to talk about LGBTQ+ issues.
“We started our chapter because we did not want any other children to suffer the way our sons had,” Johnson said. “We also wanted to offer support and love to the inclusive community, educate about who GLBT people (the terminology in those days) are, and make sure we were out and advocating for all our children whenever and wherever we could.
“We chose to be ‘out’ with our pictures and telephone numbers because we believed secrecy breeds shame, and yet we recognized secrecy was necessary until one was ready to be ‘out.’
“It is gratifying to know the number of people who have reached out to our chapter and supported their own family members,” she continued, “and of those who have also gone on to educate and advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Johnson said she hopes the time comes when PFLAG no longer needs to exist.
What We Do
Provide Support – Our PFLAG chapter facilitates two support meetings per month: one open to all, featuring both a monthly craft night and a peer support circle; and one focused on meeting the particular needs of those who have a transgender, nonbinary, or gender expansive family member.
Offer Education – In conjunction with PFLAG National, we offer a variety of educational resources, from free downloadable digital publications to live webinars. We have expert speakers available for your classroom, meeting, or seminar. And we are closely allied with PFLAG chapters and other LGBTQ+ serving organizations throughout the Upstate and all of South Carolina.
Advocate – PFLAG strives to partner with other local and national organizations to educate key decision-makers about the issues that affect our loved ones and families, and to teach others how to use their voices to amplify our efforts toward a more equitable and just world for the LGBTQ+ community. In Greenville County, we are in partnership with Freedom in Libraries Advocacy Group, fighting to preserve access to diverse books in Greenville County Libraries. Our membership in the Freedom to Read SC alliance helps us keep on top of censorship issues arising within our public school system. Statewide and regionally, we work closely with the ACLU of South Carolina, the Alliance for Full Acceptance, Campaign for Southern Equality, and other advocacy groups.