PFLAG Plants Roots in Pensacola
- Mar 5
- 4 min read
By Dakota Parks for Inweekly
For many families in Pensacola, support just got a little closer to home.
With the launch of PFLAG Pensacola, long-needed resources are now available to LGBTQ+ individuals, their families and allies throughout the city and across Northwest Florida.
At the center of that effort is Lee Poteat, who was brought on as the chapter’s president after relocating to the area in 2025. Before moving to Pensacola, Poteat and his husband lived in Rome, Ga., where they were deeply involved with their local PFLAG chapter. The organization was a cornerstone of their community—a place to find connection and chosen family.
“When we moved here, one of the first things we did was look for a PFLAG chapter,” Poteat said. “When we couldn’t find one, it was really disappointing because we loved that connection and the support PFLAG offers.”
That absence set off a chain reaction. After mentioning the lack of a local chapter to leadership in Georgia, Poteat was connected by a regional director to four Pensacola women who were already trying to start a chapter but were running into roadblocks.
“They had the passion and the heart, but none of them had experience with PLFAG or knowing exactly what was needed to get the chapter off the ground,” Poteat explained. “I met with them and gave them some tips and ideas to help, and they asked me to be president and take their reins and run with it. I was happy to fill that role because I knew how much the Pensacola community needed PFLAG.”
From a Parent’s Sign to a National Movement
To understand the significance of a PFLAG chapter opening locally, it helps to understand where the organization began.
PFLAG was founded in 1973, originally known as “Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.” Its roots trace back to New York City in the early 1970s, when the mother of a gay activist, who had been brutally beaten, publicly stood up for her son.
After writing a letter to the New York Post defending him, she was asked to march alongside her son in the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, held one year after the Stonewall uprising. She carried a handmade sign that read, “Parents of Gays Unite in Support of Our Children.” The message resonated instantly. Other parents, families and friends who wanted to protect and advocate for their loved ones, but didn’t know how, found each other through that moment.
Over the decades, PFLAG evolved alongside the LGBTQ+ movement. Today, the organization goes simply by PFLAG, reflecting its broader mission. It now includes all members of the LGBTQ+ community alongside allies, families and friends.
What PFLAG Pensacola Will Offer
Those pillars shape everything PFLAG Pensacola is building locally. According to Poteat, the goal is to create a safe, inclusive space where people can find understanding, resources and community not just in Pensacola, but across Northwest Florida.
Support takes many forms. The chapter will host adult support group meetings the first Monday of each month, facilitated by Poteat himself. Those meetings will focus on challenges connected to coming out, identity and how being LGBTQ+ can impact relationships with family, friends and larger communities. Participation is intentionally flexible. Attendees are never called on or pressured to speak. Some may choose to share their stories while others may simply listen.
“You don’t have to share to be there,” Poteat explains. “This is your space to get out of it what you need.”
Beyond structured support groups, PFLAG Pensacola plans to host adult outings, family-friendly events, casual meetups at restaurants and game nights designed to create fear-free spaces where people can relax and simply exist as themselves. Importantly, no membership is required to attend meetings, activities or events.
Education is another major focus. Through workshops like safe space training, PFLAG Pensacola will partner with local organizations, businesses and community groups to provide practical guidance on inclusivity. These trainings offer a place to ask questions people may be afraid to voice elsewhere—from understanding terminology to learning how to respond with grace when someone comes out.
“We want people to feel comfortable learning so they can advocate and speak up as allies,” Poteat said.
PFLAG’s website also connects members and community to a wide range of resources, including guidance on being a better ally, finding affirming healthcare, supporting LGBTQ+ children and grandchildren and accessing advocacy tools.
Advocacy in a Critical Moment
Advocacy may be the most urgent piece of PFLAG’s work. Poteat points to escalating legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, particularly those targeting transgender people and trans youth, as one of the most pressing issues facing the community.
“These laws are not just disappointing and heartbreaking; they’re dangerous,” he says. “Trans youth already struggle transitioning. This is not something that they’re doing for fun. This is who they are, and to not be able to get the care that your body is requiring is devastating. Governments should never be allowed to determine if you can be who you are or not.”
Nationally, PFLAG provides tools and resources to help community members engage directly in the legislative process, including organizing transportation alongside Equality Florida to Tallahassee during Florida’s legislative session, providing contact information for elected officials and making advocacy as accessible as possible. Locally, PFLAG Pensacola plans to partner with other LGBTQ+ organizations to organize and collaborate.
“We put all of that information together for you, so you don’t have to do the digging,” Poteat says. “You can just be the voice.”
Looking Ahead
While the chapter is starting with adult support groups, the long-term vision is expansive. By 2027, PFLAG Pensacola hopes to offer support groups for teens and allow additional groups for parents, seniors or other specific communities to grow organically based on local needs.
Those who want to deepen their involvement can become members of PFLAG Pensacola for $15 for college students, $20 for individuals or $30 for a household. Membership connects supporters to national PFLAG resources, including exclusive trainings, advocacy alerts and educational materials while also helping fund vital local programming and broader advocacy efforts at both the state and national levels.
Ultimately, Poteat says, the work comes down to visibility, safety and belonging. By listening to one another and meeting people where they are, PFLAG Pensacola aims to create a ripple effect offering dignity and respect not only to those who attend meetings, but to those who may be watching from the outside, unsure if it’s safe to step forward yet.
“This gives people a place to belong,” he says. “Sometimes, that makes all the difference.”
PLFAG Pensacola
