This is a common misconception for the few LGBTQ people who have heard of PFLAG. Our support meetings are open to everyone. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are especially welcome because your story of struggle, shame, and discovery of your true self can help non-LGBTQ attendees (parents, family, friends, and allies) understand their LGBTQ loved one(s).

No. Professional mental health organizations, including the American Psychological Association, have issued statements explaining that sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be changed or cured.

Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological or spiritual interventions. There is no reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and medical institutions warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective, harmful, and has caused some LGBTQ people to commit suicide.