PFLAG Open Letter to Southern Baptist Conference

To: Dr. Bobby Welch
President of the Southern Baptist Convention

June 21, 2005

Dear Dr. Welch and members of the Southern Baptist Convention,

We write to you today as parents, as people of faith and as friends who share a common goal with each other and with you: protecting our children. We hope that you will read and consider this letter in the spirit in which it is written.

At the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) this week, your members may have the opportunity to vote on the “Resolution on Homosexuality in Public Schools.” We sincerely hope that the leadership of the SBC will take more time to consider the tone and content of this resolution and not allow a vote in the coming days.

Contrary to the language of this resolution, we do not target children to undermine a parent’s religious teaching or the values children learn at home. Rather our goal is to prevent violent physical and verbal attacks on students who are gay or those perceived to be gay.

The resolution accuses safe schools programs of promoting acceptance of “homosexual lifestyle choices.” A seven year-old boy who is beaten up on the school playground for being sensitive is not making a “lifestyle choice.” A student who is peppered with slurs like “dyke” when she walks to class is not making a “lifestyle choice.”

Studies show that 84% of gay students are verbally harassed, 39% are physically harassed and that this climate of abuse seriously impacts their ability to learn. We earnestly hope that you agree that no child deserves to be harassed or abused at school – whether or not the attack is motivated by a child’s religious beliefs, race or sexual orientation.

In his high school, Brent Wimmer, a student from Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was physically beaten by classmates. They also vandalized his car with large rocks and eggs eight times in the school parking lot. What did Brent, a young man from a fundamentalist Christian family active in his local church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, do to deserve this cruelty? He wrote an article in his school newspaper about the importance of respecting all people, including gay students, as God’s children.

We believe that all parents can agree that what happened to Brent and to countless others like him is wrong and should be prevented. Before the SBC passes a resolution denouncing all safe schools programs, please take the time to consider the impact on our children. To secure the safety and the freedom to learn for all of our students, we must combat all physical and verbal abuse in schools.

We hope that you, Dr. Mims, your leadership and your delegates will feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss this issue further.

Many thanks for your time,

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

The PFLAG chapters listed below represent hundreds of thousands of PFLAG families with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender loved ones in all 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Alabama:

PFLAG Mobile           

PFLAG Jasper

PFLAG Montgomery

PFLAG Anniston          

PFLAG Birmingham

Alaska:

PFLAG Juneau

PFLAG Homer

PFLAG Sitka  

PFLAG Soldotna / Kenai

PFLAG Fairbanks        

PFLAG Wasilla/ Mat-Su

PFLAG Anchorage/ Southcentral Alaska

Arkansas:

PFLAG Fort Smith

PFLAG Fayetteville/Of The Ozarks

PFLAG Rogers

PFLAG Fayetteville/Northwest Arkansas

PFLAG Little Rock

Arizona:

PFLAG Flagstaff

PFLAG Lake Havasu

PFLAG Page  

PFLAG Tucson

PFLAG Phoenix/Valley Of The Sun

PFLAG Arizona

PFLAG Lake Havasu City

California:

PFLAG Monterey/ Monterey County

PFLAG Los Angeles           

PFLAG Oakland/ East Bay

PFLAG Anderson Valley

PFLAG Fresno           

PFLAG Santa Ana/ Orange County

PFLAG Chinese Northern California Chapter           

PFLAG San Luis Obispo/ Central Coast  

PFLAG Laguna Hills/ South Orange County

PFLAG San Jose / Peninsula           

PFLAG Walnut Creek/ Diablo Valley

PFLAG Pasadena         

PFLAG Rossmoor/Walnut Creek        

PFLAG Redlands         

PFLAG Marysville/Yuba City

PFLAG Fremont/East Bay     

PFLAG Benicia/Vallejo

PFLAG San Francisco        

PFLAG Yreka-Mt. Shasta/ Siskiyou          

PFLAG Ridgecrest       

PFLAG Vacaville/ North Solano County

PFLAG Westwood/Lake Almanor       

PFLAG Temecula         

PFLAG San Fernando Valley

PFLAG Palos Verdes/ South Bay

PFLAG San Joaquin/Stockton

PFLAG Placerville/El Dorado County

PFLAG Bakersfield      

PFLAG Redding/Shasta County

PFLAG Santa Clarita 

PFLAG Sacramento     

PFLAG Grass Valley/Nevada City     

PFLAG San Jose    

PFLAG Palm Springs/ Desert Communitities

PFLAG Idyllwild/ San Jacinto Valley  

PFLAG Long Beach  

PFLAG Santa Rosa/North Bay     

PFLAG Ventura/ Ventura County           

PFLAG Modesto/Stanislaus     

PFLAG Woodland/ Yolo County

PFLAG Hayward         

PFLAG Sonora/Mother Lode

PFLAG Claremont       

PFLAG Santa Barbara           

PFLAG Danville/ San Ramon Valley  

PFLAG Idyllwild/San Jacinto Valley  

PFLAG San Diego  

PFLAG Santa Cruz/Santa Cruz County    

PFLAG Eureka           

Colorado:

PFLAG Estes Park

PFLAG Pagosa Springs

PFLAG Durango/Four Corners

PFLAG Grand Junction/ Western Colorado

PFLAG Dillon/ Summit County

PFLAG Evergreen/ Mountain Area

PFLAG Fort Collins/ Northern Colorado

PFLAG Pueblo           

PFLAG Boulder           

PFLAG Denver

PFLAG Colorado Springs

PFLAG Colorado Coalition & PFLAG Boulder County           

Collegiate Peaks PFLAG 

Connecticut:

PFLAG Hartford

PFLAG Danbury

PFLAG Madison/Shoreline       

PFLAG Madison/ Shoreline         

PFLAG Coventry         

PFLAG Hartford/CT Latino PFLAG

PFLAG Norwalk/Fairfield Co. SWCT

PFLAG Norwich          

District of Columbia:

PFLAG Washington D.C./ Metropolitan Area    

Delaware:

PFLAG Wilmington/North Delaware

Florida:

PFLAG Key West   

PFLAG Ocala 

PFLAG Pinellas

PFLAG Daytona

PFLAG Tampa

PFLAG Jacksonville

PFLAG Miami

PFLAG Pensacola Emerald Coast

PFLAG Brooksville      

PFLAG Fort Lauderdale

PFLAG Vero Beach  

PFLAG Tavernier/ Upper Keys

PFLAG Tallahassee      

PFLAG Melbourne/ Space Coast

PFLAG Boca Raton/South Florida

PFLAG Ft. Myers 

PFLAG Lakeland/Polk County

PFLAG Palm Beach  

PFLAG Boynton Beach

PFLAG West Palm Beach/ Century Village

PFLAG Naples/ Collier County

PFLAG Hobe Sound/ Martin County

PFLAG Brooksville/ Tri-County      

PFLAG Sarasota          

PFLAG Sanibel

PFLAG Crystal River/Natures Coast  

PFLAG Palm Beach  

PFLAG Orlando/ Central Florida

PFLAG West Pasco  

PFLAG Palm Coast  

PFLAG Palm Beach  

Georgia:

PFLAG Ellijay

PFLAG Riverdale/Metro South Atlanta

PFLAG Athens           

PFLAG Columbus / Chattahoochee Valley  

PFLAG Powder Springs/West Georgia           

PFLAG Atlanta           

PFLAG New Mexico State Council

PFLAG Macon           

PFLAG Gainesville       

Hawaii:

PFLAG Maui

PFLAG Hilo/East Hawaii Island   

PFLAG Kailua-Kona   

PFLAG Oahu  

Iowa:

PFLAG Iowa City/ Hawkeye

PFLAG Independance  

PFLAG Quad Cities   

PFLAG Indianola         

PFLAG North Iowa   

PFLAG Iowa River Valley/Marshalltown

PFLAG Dubuque/ Tri- State   

PFLAG Des Moines

PFLAG Waterloo-Cedar Falls

PFLAG Ames 

PFLAG Fairfield

PFLAG Waukon/Northeast

PFLAG Shenandoah     

PFLAG Cedar Rapids 

PFLAG Burlington/SE Iowa Chapter

Indiana:

PFLAG Sandpoint/ Bonner County

PFLAG Idaho Falls/Eastern Idaho

PFLAG Twin Falls/Magic Valley

PFLAG Boise/ Treasure Valley

PFLAG Coeur D'Alene           

PFLAG Valley County/New Meadows

PFLAG Pocatello         

PFLAG Mountain Home

Illinois:

PFLAG Moline           

PFLAG Chicago/ Hinsdale /West Suburban         

PFLAG Glenview/North Suburban Chicago           

PFLAG Elgin   

PFLAG Dupage

PFLAG Chicago/Lakeview

PFLAG Aurora / Fox Valley

PFLAG Woodstock / Mchenry County

PFLAG Palatine           

PFLAG Urbana-Champaign      

PFLAG Bloomington-Normal/Central Illinois  

PFLAG Quincy           

PFLAG Rock River Valley

PFLAG Springfield       

PFLAG Carbondale/Southern Illinois   

Indiana:

PFLAG Lafayette/ Tippecanoe County

PFLAG Hammond       

PFLAG Huntington       

PFLAG Seymour          

PFLAG Evansville/Tri-State   

PFLAG Southeastern Indiana

PFLAG Indianapolis     

PFLAG Michigan City / Indiana Dunes  

PFLAG Evansville/ Tri-State   

PFLAG Fort Wayne

PFLAG Bloomington    

PFLAG Indianapolis     

PFLAG Muncie

PFLAG Richmond/Whitewater Valley  

PFLAG South Bend/ Michiana

Kansas:         

PFLAG Lindsborg        

PFLAG Lawrence-Topeka           

PFLAG Abilene

PFLAG Flint Hills/Manhatan

Kentucky:

PFLAG Lexington        

PFLAG Henderson, KY/ Evansville, In        

PFLAG Berea 

PFLAG Leitchfield        

PFLAG Paducah

PFLAG Owensboro     

PFLAG Louisville         

Louisiana:

PFLAG Shreveport      

PFLAG Baton Rouge 

PFLAG New Orleans           

PFLAG Lafayette         

Massachusetts:

PFLAG Hingham          

PFLAG EASTON        

PFLAG Framingham     

PFLAG Falmouth/ Cape Cod       

PFLAG Barrington/South Berkshire      

PFLAG Reading           

PFLAG Concord/Minuteman   

PFLAG Pioneer Valley / Franklin - Hampshire       

PFLAG Boston/ Greater Boston

PFLAG Williamstown/  

PFLAG Brewster/Cape Cod    

PFLAG Springfield / Greater Springfield       

PFLAG  Beverly

PFLAG Williamstown/ Berkshire         

PFLAG Arlington         

PFLAG Worcester       

Maryland:

PFLAG Columbia/ Howard County

PFLAG Westminster/Carroll County   

PFLAG Stevensville /MD's Eastern Shore  

PFLAG Baltimore         

PFLAG Bel Air/Susquehanna         

PFLAG Annapolis        

PFLAG Lexington Park/ St. Mary's       

Maine:

PFLAG Portland          

PFLAG Ellsworth         

PFLAG Brunswick       

Michigan:

PFLAG Detroit           

PFLAG Holland / Lakeshore       

PFLAG Mt. Pleasant           

PFLAG Traverse City   

PFLAG Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan         

PFLAG Marquette       

PFLAG Keweenaw      

PFLAG Port Huron/Sarnia-Bluewater        

PFLAG Grand Rapids 

PFLAG Iron Mountain         

PFLAG St. Joseph/ Berrien County

PFLAG Detroit / Family Reunion: POC 

PFLAG Bay City/Saginaw/Midland           

PFLAG Jackson           

PFLAG Ann Arbor  

PFLAG Detroit/ Downriver       

PFLAG Flint/Genesse County

PFLAG Lansing

PFLAG Umoja

Minnesota:

PFLAG Alexandria       

PFLAG Brainerd Lakes

PFLAG Bemidji

PFLAG Grand Rapids/ Itasca  

PFLAG Winona/ Stonecatchers  

PFLAG Marshall / Buffalo Ridge   

PFLAG Red Wing   

PFLAG St. Cloud/ Central Minnesota       

PFLAG Duluth

PFLAG Northfield        

PFLAG St. Paul / Minneapolis     

PFLAG Park Rapids 

PFLAG Rochester / Southern Minnesota       

Missouri:

PFLAG Springfield       

PFLAG Columbia/Mid-Missouri          

PFLAG Kansas City

PFLAG St. Louis/ Suburban         

Mississippi:

PFLAG Jackson           

PFLAG Tupelo           

PFLAG Ovett/Camp Sister Spirit      

PFLAG Waveland/ Gulf Bay Coast       

PFLAG Meridian/Daleville        

Montana:

PFLAG Billings           

PFLAG Butte  

PFLAG Great Falls/Golden Triangle           

PFLAG Missoula / Five Valleys

North Carolina:

PFLAG Gastonia/ Western Piedmont         

PFLAG Charlotte

PFLAG Wilmington/Cape Fear           

PFLAG Kannapolis      

PFLAG Mt. Airy     

PFLAG Elon College/Alamance County        

PFLAG Rocky Mount 

PFLAG Boone

PFLAG Raleigh-Durham/Triangle         

PFLAG Flat Rock/ Henderson       

PFLAG Fayetteville      

PFLAG Transgender Network (TNET)           

PFLAG Winston-Salem

PFLAG Asheville          

PFLAG Hickory/Catawba Valley         

PFLAG Greensboro     

North Dakota:

PFLAG Bismarck/ Central Dakota

PFLAG Minot 

PFLAG Grand Forks  

PFLAG Fargo/ Moorhead

Nebraska:     

PFLAG Kearney/ Central Nebraska

PFLAG Omaha

PFLAG Hastings          

PFLAG Lincoln/ Cornhusker     

New Hampshire:

PFLAG Jefferson / North Country 

PFLAG Laconia / Lakes Region  

PFLAG Stratham/Seacoast       

PFLAG Francestown / Monadnock Region 

PFLAG New Hampshire State Council   

PFLAG Concord          

PFLAG Keene

PFLAG Lebanon/ Upper Valley   

PFLAG Plymouth         

New Jersey:

PFLAG Belleville/ North Jersey    

PFLAG Asbury Park/ Monmouth-Ocean 

PFLAG Morris County

PFLAG Jersey Shore/Tom's River   

PFLAG Ocean City/Cape May County

PFLAG Princeton         

PFLAG Bellmawr/ South Jersey    

PFLAG Mays Landing           

PFLAG Ridgewood/ Bergen County

PFLAG Cape May    

New Mexico:

PFLAG Farmington      

PFLAG Taos  

PFLAG Los Alamos

PFLAG Las Cruces / Dona Ana Chapter    

PFLAG Rio Rancho

PFLAG Silver City     

PFLAG Santa Fe       

PFLAG Albuquerque    

PFLAG Alamogordo    

PFLAG Las Cruces/Dona Ana County     

PFLAG Ruidoso/ Lincoln County

Nevada:

PFLAG Reno/ Northern Nevada           

PFLAG Las Vegas

PFLAG Carson City     

New York:

PFLAG River Head/ East End           

PFLAG Utica/ Mohawk Valley  

PFLAG Middletown /orange County

PFLAG New Paltz/ Ulster County

PFLAG Staten Island Chapter 

PFLAG Long Island  

PFLAG Buffalo/ Niagara Area   

PFLAG Chautauqua     

PFLAG Albany           

PFLAG Canton/St. Lawrence County

PFLAG Rochester        

PFLAG Binghamton     

PFLAG Ithaca 

PFLAG Brooklyn         

PFLAG New York City        

PFLAG Cooperstown- Fly Creek        

PFLAG Tri-Lakes/North Country Open Woods

PFLAG Spring Valley/ Rockland County

PFLAG Elmira-Corning

PFLAG Queens

PFLAG Oneonta/Otsego County         

PFLAG Schenectady    

PFLAG Westchester County

PFLAG Jamestown      

PFLAG Poughkeepsie/ Mid-Hudson    

PFLAG Syracuse         

Ohio:

PFLAG Toledo           

PFLAG Fremont          

PFLAG Cleveland        

PFLAG Elyria/ Lorain County 

PFLAG Alliance           

PFLAG Columbus        

PFLAG Oxford / Oxford Area

PFLAG Medina

PFLAG Youngstown    

PFLAG Akron

PFLAG Lima  

PFLAG Sandusky/Firelands    

PFLAG Lancaster/Fairfield County       

PFLAG Hillcrest/ Cleveland East 

PFLAG Dayton

PFLAG Mansfield/Mid-Ohio    

PFLAG Cincinnati        

PFLAG Tiffin/Seneca County

PFLAG Ashtabula        

PFLAG Wooster          

PFLAG Cincinnati        

Oklahoma:

PFLAG Oklahoma City/ Metro  

PFLAG Norman           

PFLAG Oklahoma City

PFLAG Lawton

PFLAG Stillwater         

PFLAG Edmond          

PFLAG Tulsa  

PFLAG Muskogee/Green County

Oregon:

PFLAG Rockaway Beach  

PFLAG Forest Grove  

PFLAG Clackamas County

PFLAG Roseburg         

PFLAG Mid Columbia         

PFLAG Portland          

PFLAG Eugene-Springfield       

PFLAG Corvallis-Albany

PFLAG Ontario

PFLAG Grants Pass/Josephine County

PFLAG Salem 

PFLAG Yachats           

PFLAG Canby/Clackmas County        

PFLAG Coos Bay/South or Coast  

PFLAG Bend/ Central Oregon

PFLAG Klamath Falls  

Pennsylvania:

PFLAG Philadelphia     

PFLAG West Chester/Chester County          

PFLAG Reeders/Monroe County         

PFLAG Villanova         

PFLAG Allentown/ Eastern            

PFLAG Pottsville/Schuylkill County      

PFLAG York  

PFLAG Erie/ Erie & Crawford Counties          

PFLAG Washington     

PFLAG Johnstown       

PFLAG Harrisburg/ Central Pennsylvania    

PFLAG State College

PFLAG Pittsburgh        

PFLAG Milton/ Central Susquehanna   

PFLAG Chambersburg / Franklin Area

PFLAG Lancaster/ Red Rose   

PFLAG Wilkes-Barre/ Northeastern   

PFLAG Morgantown    

Puerto Rico:

PFLAG Puerto Rico    

Rhode Island:

PFLAG Tiverton/ East Bay     

PFLAG Greater Providence      

South Carolina:

PFLAG Columbia         

PFLAG Spartanburg     

PFLAG Spartanburg     

PFLAG Greenville        

PFLAG Myrtle Beach  

PFLAG Charleston       

PFLAG Anderson / Clemson          

South Dakota:

PFLAG Western South Dakota

PFLAG Sioux Falls    

Tennessee:

PFLAG Memphis         

PFLAG Chattanooga    

PFLAG Johnson City/Tri-Cities  

PFLAG Nashville         

PFLAG Jackson           

PFLAG Crossville/Cumberland County

PFLAG Knoxville         

Texas:

PFLAG Amarillo          

PFLAG San Antonio           

PFLAG Victoria/ Crossroads      

PFLAG Bryan-College Station/ Brazos Valley  

PFLAG El Paso    

PFLAG Waco 

PFLAG Galveston/ Galveston County

PFLAG Lubbock         

PFLAG Dublin/Erath County

PFLAG Fort Worth 

PFLAG Denton

PFLAG Abilene/ Big Country           

PFLAG Tyler/ East Texas       

PFLAG Houston          

PFLAG Texas State Council   

PFLAG Odessa  / Midland           

PFLAG Wichita Falls / Texoma           

PFLAG Austin

PFLAG Dallas 

PFLAG Beaumont        

Utah:

PFLAG Salt Lake City        

PFLAG Vernal/Uintah Basin   

PFLAG St. George

Virginia:

PFLAG Lexington/ Buena Vista/ Rockbridge County

PFLAG Fredericksburg/ Rappahannock Area    

PFLAG Harrisonburg   

PFLAG Charlottesville  

PFLAG Danville / Martinsville      

PFLAG Keysville/ Charlotte County

PFLAG Blacksburg/ New River Valley  

PFLAG Norfolk/ South Hampton Roads 

PFLAG Virginia State Council

PFLAG Roanoke/ Roanoke Valley  

PFLAG Lexington-Buena Vista/Rockbridge County        

PFLAG Augusta           

PFLAG Newport News/ Tidewater        

PFLAG Winchester/Lower Shenandoah Valley  

PFLAG Richmond        

PFLAG Lynchburg       

Vermont:

PFLAG White River Junction  

PFLAG Burlington/ Champlain Valley  

Washington:

PFLAG Olympia          

PFLAG Wenatchee/ Wenatchee Valley  

PFLAG Pullman-Moscow/ Palouse Region

 PFLAG Friday Harbor

PFLAG Yakima/ Yakima Valley 

PFLAG Aberdeen/ Harbor Area    

PFLAG Ephrata           

PFLAG Spokane          

PFLAG Walla Wallla/ Blue Mountain         

PFLAG Spokane          

PFLAG Sequim/Clallam County Pflag    

PFLAG Clarkston-Lewiston/ Quad Cities     

PFLAG Vancouver/ SW Washington     

PFLAG Lower Columbia         

PFLAG Sedro- Woolley / Skagit County  

PFLAG Tacoma           

PFLAG Seattle

PFLAG Richland/Tri-Cities   

PFLAG Port Townsend/North Olympic Peninsula         

PFLAG Vancouver/ SW Washington     

PFLAG Everett-Snohomish       

PFLAG Ellensburg/Kittitas County        

PFLAG Bellevue          

PFLAG Bremerton/ Kitsap County 

PFLAG Washington State Council   

PFLAG Bellingham/ Whatcom County

Wisconsin:     

PFLAG Kenosha/ Racine 

PFLAG West Bend   

PFLAG Sheboygan/ Lakeshore       

PFLAG Sturgeon Bay/Door County

PFLAG Wausau/North Central WI      

PFLAG Galesville/Western Wisconsin  

PFLAG La Crosse/ La Crosse Area    

PFLAG Eau Claire/ Greater Chippewa Valley  

PFLAG Madison          

PFLAG Regional Director's Council

PFLAG Appleton/ Fox Cities   

PFLAG Waukesha       

PFLAG Milwaukee      

West Virginia:

PFLAG Lewisburg / Beckley           

PFLAG Wheeling         

PFLAG Charleston/WV Southern          

PFLAG Parkersburg     

Wyoming:

PFLAG Casper

PFLAG Buffalo Wyoming         

PFLAG Cheyenne