Jeanne Manford (1920 - 2015)

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As we begin Pride Month and celebrate  the 18th annual LGBTQ Families Day, it seems fitting to recognize ally Jeanne Manford. Her outrage when her son, Morty, was beaten in 1972, while distributing fliers for gay rights, led to the founding of PFLAG, the international non-profit. Jeanne first wrote a protest letter to the NYPost, the first of its kind and then marched in the New York Pride Parade with a home-made sign.  with her husband Jules and like-minded parents, Jeanne established Parents of Gays (now PFLAG) to act as a bridge between the gay and heterosexual communities. Fifty-one years later PFLAG  is the largest organization, dedicated to creating a world in which every LGBT+ person is “safe, celebrated, empowered and loved.”