Support

Reminder: The "988" Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

We shared this resource last week, but we wanted to ensure that no one missed it.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—is a national network of more than 200 crisis centers that helps thousands of people overcome crisis situations every day. These centers are supported by local and state sources as well as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). As of July 16, 2022, all calls and text messages to “988” route to a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call center.

Need immediate crisis support? Dial 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

Education

Three Steps to Being a Better Ally and Friend

July 30th is International Friendship Day. A great way to be a friend toward your LGBTQ+ loved ones is to continue your learning on how to be a great ally. Here are some resources to get you started:

1. Learn: Check out the resources available at straightforequality.org/allyspectrum to help you find the next step on your ally journey.
2. Watch: Revisit several episodes of PFLAG Academy Online to boost your allyship, including What Would You Do?, So You Think You Can Ally, and Be Kind, Rewind. Once you’ve gone through and brushed up on some general ally skills, be sure to check out sessions on how you can be a better ally to people with more expansive LGBTQ+ identities, to trans and nonbinary people, and to bisexual+ people.
3. Share: Download one of our Straight for Equality ally cards, fill yours out, and take a photo to post on social media to let people know who you are and what you believe in.

Advocacy

Tell your Senators: Vote in Favor of the Respect for Marriage Act!

The U.S. House last week passed—in a bipartisan effort—the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), which ensures that couples who want to celebrate their love have the freedom to marry. The RMA would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, commonly known as DOMA, which had made it federal law that only opposite-sex couples could be legally married, and writes into law that even if a state’s law bans interracial marriage or same-sex marriage, they HAVE to recognize those marriages if they happened out of state (or in another country) where the marriage was legal at the time. The RMA also ensures that the 1,200+ rights, privileges and protections that come when you and your spouse say, “I do,” apply no matter your race, genders or where you’re from.

Tell your Senators to vote in favor of the RMA, urgently, as the vote is coming up quickly!

Something to Talk About...Live!

Do You Have a Plan to Vote in November?

Did you know that LGBTQ+ voters made up roughly 7% of the electorate in 2020 and that nearly half of LGBTQ+ voters report that they are more motivated to vote in this year’s midterms? Were you aware that many reports say that if LGBTQ+ voters had stayed home in 2020 that the presidential election may have turned out differently?

Join us this Thursday, July 28 at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT for Something to Talk About Live where we will be discussing “Voting rights are key to advancing LGBTQ+ equality", which appeared in Penn Live: The Patriot News by Ricardo Almodovar. We're excited to welcome PFLAG National’s Executive Director, Brian Bond and staff members Diego Sanchez, Patrick Cochran, and Jamie Henkel to the conversation! 

You can watch live on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

To learn more--and to check out our discussion questions in advance--visit pflagnation.al/STTALive-072822.