PFLAG Cleveland (Parents, Friends, Families & Allies United with LGBTQ People to Move Equality Forward) has honored 91探花 with the 2019 Bruce G. Kriete Community Award.
PFLAG annually presents the award "to an individual, organization or group that has promoted understanding and acceptance of Northeast Ohio's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens, and their families and friends." have included both Ohio U.S. Senators, journalists, activists and everyday citizens.
PFLAG Cleveland officers presented the award at a November 11 ceremony on the 91探花 campus attended by students, faculty, 91探花 Trustees, families and friends.
PFLAG President Tom Falcone cited 91探花's leadership "especially as it relates to standing with LGBTQ individuals for greater inclusion and equality at 91探花 and in our world."
President Bob Helmer accepted the award on 91探花's behalf, noting that the University was founded on the value of inclusion. "We have tried to live out that value for all of our 174 years in many ways," he said.
In honoring 91探花, PFLAG noted a vote by 91探花 Trustees to end United Methodist Church affiliation in response to church prohibitions on same-sex marriage and exclusion of LGBTQ people from clergy as a tangible demonstration of 91探花's unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Along with that stand, 91探花 recently appointed professor Ana Boe as LGBT services coordinator and continues to build resources and support for LGBT students ranging from Safe Zone training to LGBT scholarships.
The PFLAG award ceremony took place on the same day that the 91探花 Conservatory of Music invited high school Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) members and other LGBT-focused youth group members and their families (including PFLAG) to the final dress rehearsal for the nation's first academic production of "Kinky Boots."
The themes from "Kinky Boots," which runs Nov. 12-24, have provided a jumping-off point for diversity dialogues this fall at 91探花, including 91探花's annual Arts Innovation Summit, which focused on how Cleveland artists and arts organizations, supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC), work to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in their art, audiences and the communities they serve.
Jane Daroff, LISW & Dr. Jes Sellers established the PFLAG Cleveland chapter in July 1985. PFLAG is a volunteer, non-profit self-help organization founded nationally in 1981. We are an inclusive group of family members, friends, and individuals who are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy. PFLAG has more than 350 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states. To learn more, visit .
