Family Pride’s Blog

One year ago today, I stepped into the Family Pride office for the first time as a member of the FP team. A lot has happened in the past 365 days. In addition to traveling around the country training our OUTSpoken families and all the other work that goes into our programming, I have put on skits and dances, rocked crying babies to sleep, hauled 40 lbs of equipment around an airport for 14 hours, almost suffocated in a deflating bouncy-house after a power failure, got lost for two hours in the chaos of Detroit, worked 13 hour days in 100+ degree heat for ten days straight (aka, Family Week!), and made lifelong friendships with my co-workers (not to mention countless frustrations with our printer, which always seems to be low on toner). Most importantly though, I got to meet your amazing families and witness firsthand that Family Pride’s message is not empty rhetoric, that love really is what makes a family.

Today is not only my one-year mark of working at Family Pride, it is also the last day I will be in the office. For various reasons, I have made the incredibly hard decision to pursue a career with another organization. I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to work at such an amazing place as Family Pride, in a movement that strives to bring our society to the true meaning of equality.

The Family Pride staff works tirelessly to fight for your families. We stay in the office into the late hours of the night, sacrifice weekends, endure torrential downpours, whatever it takes to make sure that our work is working. But we are a small staff: we cannot do it alone. We need you. Use our publications. Talk to your schools. Be OUTSpoken. And tell us what you’re doing to fight for equality. It makes us feel good, it excites the staff like crazy (David is partial to doing handstands when he hears good news, Sara giggles a lot, etc.), and most importantly, it lets us know what’s working and what’s not.
 
As my leaving words of wisdom, I want to remind you just how important it is that you are visible and telling your family story as much as you can. Massachusetts’ latest victory was the result of families telling their stories to legislators. Without those families being visible, hundreds of MA families’ legal rights would’ve been in jeopardy. So don’t depend on other people- go out and fight for your family. And just as we can’t win without you, you can’t win without allies. It is vital that you include your friends, neighbors, teachers, extended family, faith communities, and anyone else you can think of in the fight for equality.

Thanks for a truly wonderful year and a lifetime of memories!

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