PFLAG sees membership spike after anti-gay amendments

The passage in November of anti-gay measures in four states and the release of the films "Milk" and "Prayers for Bobby" have resulted in a increase in interest in Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The national organization said that it has received at least 75 inquiries about starting new chapters in communities across the country since Election Day. PFLAG, which already boasts nearly 500 chapters and affiliates across the country, said it is working with local allies who have expressed interest in bringing the organization to their communities. California, Florida and Arizona passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in November. Arkansas voters approved a law barring gays from adopting or fostering children. The critically acclaimed "Milk" profiles the election of Harvey Milk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming one of the earliest gay politicians. He was assassinated a year later. "Prayers for Bobby" tells the true story of Mary Griffith , a PFLAG mother's journey from rejecting her gay son to becoming an advocate for LGBT rights. "If there is a silver lining to the set-back our families experienced on Election Day , it is that our allies in communities across the country have started to mobilize at the local level and work for change," said Jody M. Huckaby , PFLAG's national executive director. "New PFLAG chapters are forming in critically important districts and existing PFLAG chapters in many communities are reporting an increase in their membership. Today, our families, allies and loved ones are organizing and pressing for change as they never have before." Huckaby said that PFLAG national headquarters has received inquiries about starting new chapters in states such as Mississippi, Alabama, Ohio , Florida, California, Utah, Texas and Idaho, among others. In Texas, a half-dozen people have expressed an interest in organizing a local PFLAG presence and at least four inquiries have come from California, where many community leaders are working to rally allies in the wake of Proposition 8's passage. The national office has also heard from organizers in Tennessee, Missouri, South Dakota, New York and New Jersey. In Indiana, local allies have organized a new PFLAG chapter in Terre Haute.