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Support, education and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and those who love us.
Welcome to our Chapter!
We are so glad you're here! Learn more about our chapter, our services, how to connect with us, how to donate, and more below!
Please take a moment to read our chapter's Statement of Solidarity:
We are PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire, a chapter of PFLAG that serves Western Massachusetts. We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other people marginalized because of their sexuality or gender (LGBTQIA+ individuals), along with their families, friends, loved ones, and allies, working together to provide education, support, and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community in all its splendor and diversity.
Unfortunately, our country has a long history of promoting the oppression of LGBTQIA+ people, especially LGBTQIA+ people of color, within a culture of patriarchal, hetero-cis-normative, white supremacy. As a result, whenever authoritarian leaders attempt to rally people in the US around an agenda of fear, division, and hate, they aim their sights on the very people PFLAG is determined to lift up in love and support.
We stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and will not allow bigotry, racism, and anti-LGBTQIA+ hatred to drive us apart. We will call out misinformation, disinformation and all attempts to minimize, reduce, or eliminate the very existence and history of trans and nonbinary people in our society. We will fight for the future of our trans and nonbinary youth. We will be there for our families, friends, loved ones, and the LGBTQIA+ community to lovingly, yet assertively, stand up and celebrate our diversity and common bonds.
WE SEE YOU.
We are LOVE. We are HERE.
We are PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire.
About our local PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire chapter
Our chapter history:
In 2008, a small circle of families in Western MA saw the need for a group to provide advocacy, education and support for their own LGBTQIA+ children and started to meet in Ashfield, MA.
The group learned to support each other concerning LGBTQIA+ issues, and quickly became Franklin-Hampshire, an official 501(c)(3) chapter of PFLAG National.
We started participating in parades, rallies and setting up educational tables at events throughout the Pioneer Valley. After some years in Ashfield, the group also expanded meetings into Northampton, where we grew our membership, and eventually made Northampton our chapter's home where we remain today.
As membership grew, in addition to the support we offer at our PFLAG meetings, we recognized a particular and additional need for families with transgender/non-binary children and our sister group, TransForming Parents, was formed in 2012, to provide space for families of trans/NB children of all ages. Learn how to connect with them here.
In 2014, our chapter created the Eric Collins Memorial Award, as a way to honor our LGBTQIA+ youth. Learn more about the story of this award and how to nominate someone here.
In 2015, we added our guest speaker program to our monthly support groups. This popular addition to our programming connects us with a wide variety of local experts, organizations, service providers, professionals, and representatives of our LGBTQIA+ community.
Tabling at community events, conferences, conventions and Pride celebrations, we maintain an active community presence, meanwhile managing our database and publishing our newsletter, responding to frequent requests for resources and advice, and making referrals to our community collaborators. Our advocacy has included participating in lobbying efforts to protect LGBTQIA+ rights, locally and at the State level, particularly fighting discrimination against our transgender community.
In 2020, in response to the pandemic, we pivoted from in-person meetings to virtual meetings, allowing us to continue to provide vital support to our members.
In 2021, we added a virtual monthly video/discussion group, for the purposes of increasing our knowledge about relevant and important queer and trans/NB issues.
In 2023, due to a successful fundraising initiative, we increased our Eric Collins Memorial Award amount from $250 to $500. Learn more here!
From our origin of a small group of people informally gathering together, to our active and vibrant chapter of today, we have seen lots of growth and evolution. Now more than ever, PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire remains committed to our three core principles of advocacy, education and support for LGBTQIA+ people and those who love us.
The idea for PFLAG began in 1972 when Jeanne Manford marched alongside her gay son, Morty, in New York's Christopher Street Liberation Day March, the precursor to today's Pride parade. After many gay and lesbian people ran up to Jeanne during the parade and begged her to talk to their parents, she decided to begin a support group. The first formal meeting took place on March 11, 1973 at the Metropolitan-Duane Methodist Church in Greenwich Village (now the Church of the Village). Approximately 20 people attended.
PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, (LGBTQIA+) people, their parents and families, and allies. With nearly 400 chapters and 250,000 members and supporters crossing multiple generations of families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas across America, PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed.
For more details about PFLAG's history, click here.
PFLAG National has a wealth of material available for LGBTQIA+ people, parents and families, friends and allies. We encourage you to check out their website and look around at the wealth of resources you will find there!
Contact and Meeting Information
Contact us:
Phone: 413-758-0124 (info line only)
Email: fhcPFLAG@gmail.com
Facebook: PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire Chapter
Mailing address:
PFLAG Franklin-Hampshire
145 University Drive #3563
Amherst MA 01004
Our Monthly Meetings:
In response to providing for the safety of our community, and to ensure that our chapter is accessible to everyone in Western MA, our meetings are virtual and take place twice a month.
2nd Tuesday of the month - SUPPORT GROUP: We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, via zoom, from 7-8:30pm, for participant support, often featuring guest speakers.
4th Tuesday of the month - VIDEO/DISCUSSION GROUP: We meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month, via zoom, from 7-8:30pm, to grow our knowledge and connection to important issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community through collectively watching a video followed by a discussion group.
If you would like more information about attending our meetings, or if you would like to be/suggest a guest speaker, contact us at fhcPFLAG@gmail.com.
LGBTQIA+ community members, families, friends, loved ones:
All are welcome to join us!
To subscribe to our mailing list, send an email request to: fhcPFLAG@gmail.com.
CALENDAR
Contact Us:
Phone: 413-758-0124 (info line only) | email: fhcpflag@gmail.com | Facebook
In response to providing for the safety of our community, and to ensure that our chapter is accessible to everyone throughout Western MA, our meetings are virtual. If you would like to join our meetings, contact us at fhcpflag@gmail.com for more information. ©2026
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