Raising the PFLAG
Your dedicated coverage may have unintentionally harmed many people. Your article about the Louisville chapter of PFLAG (LEO Weekly, Oct. 2) is both accurate and misleading. While it is true (fortunately) that increasing numbers of Americans are becoming more accepting of LGBTQ folks becoming “out and proud,” it is also true that such opinions are far more common on the coasts and in large cities. Reading your article, “Closet Companions,” one could get the idea that PFLAG is not as relevant today as it once was. Let me assure you that here in Louisville, PFLAG is still hugely important for the parents, family and friends who go through their own “coming out” process (as their loved ones “exit the closet”). Every month, new parents and families find their way to PFLAG, which serves as “mid-wives” helping parents (especially) to come to grips with the newly announced status of their LGBTQ children. It’s fairly common for parents to come from restrictive and judgmental social groups (including some church communities), which may be their primary social support.
Families and friends of LGBTQ folks are still (even today) forced into choosing between their social/church community and their own children. When they chose to support their LGBTQ child, they often lose their church family and social support. PFLAG continues to help folks reorganize their lives around their child’s coming out so they can better support their own children. As a licensed marriage and family therapist (and member of PFLAG Louisville), let me assure you that LGBTQ folks in the area are still coming out of the closet every day.
Unfortunately, it’s still too common that their parents are choosing to keep their support networks, even if that means “divorcing” their own child. PFLAG remains available to help parents, brothers, sisters and friends to support their LGBTQ children who may otherwise end up alone and abandoned on the streets. That still happens in Louisville. PFLAG remains relevant to the lives it touches. We all long for a day when PFLAG becomes obsolete. Rumors of its demise (lacking relevance) are greatly exaggerated. PFLAG continues to need community support so it can continue its mission of helping everybody “out of the closet.”
Marc Leibson, Hikes Point
Got Guts
Regarding the Oct. 2 cover story on abortion, “Access Denied”: Thanks to you, LEO, for having guts. Fantastic cover — in your face. It shouts: “Ignore this if you can!”
Christy Anderson, New Albany
No Regrets?
Although the Oct. 2 cover story on abortion was compelling, it was not really anything new. It would be nice, for a change, to see an honest, balanced article on abortion. For example, the Guttmacher Institute is cited as gospel by pro-abortion folks. (I hesitate to call them “pro-choice” because the only choice they seem to support is abortion.)
The problem with the Guttmacher Institute is that they do not follow up with women post abortion. In fact, unlike any other surgical procedure, no follow-ups are required or expected from abortionists. Further, lack of data seems to be their argument for why post-abortion side effects and depression cited by pro-life people are “myths.” When longitudinal data from Denmark’s socialized medical database are cited, these studies aren’t considered credible.
Do me a favor and follow up with some randomly selected subjects after they’ve had abortions. See if they have zero side effects and no depression. See if they really have no regrets. Anecdotal evidence from some women I’ve known would suggest otherwise, but I would be more convinced by such data than by this clearly biased article.
Betty Conklin, Goshen, Ky.
Fired Stupidity
In his speech last week in Rockville, Md., President Obama said: “If a worker shut down a manufacturing plant until they got what they wanted, they’d be fired.” The kindest response would be Hanlon’s razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
Ralph Koslik, Highlands
