Monthly meetings are free and all are welcome
PFLAG Princeton, serving all of Central New Jersey, meets on the second Monday of each month. Our meetings begin at 7:00 PM and generally run until around 9:00 PM. We meet virtually using the Zoom video conferencing service. More information about our virtual meetings can be found on our Virtual Meetings page.
Be reassured that this group is a safe place for you to express your feelings OR to just listen to what others have to say. All conversations are confidential. At each of our meetings, we begin by checking in with each of our members as well as new parents and friends who are attending for the first time. Often, our entire meeting time is devoted to discussion and support group activities designed to encourage old and new members to discuss issues and events which are significant in their lives, and share their experiences with the others.
As we decide on speakers and programs for meetings, from time to time we will change the listings below accordingly so that you know what to expect. We do include time for group discussion at every meeting, whether there is also a program or not.
Complete 2023 Calendar of Meetings and Events
- January 9th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- February 13th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- March 13th – Shaun Connors (he/him, they/them), PFLAG’s Chapter Engagement Coordinator for its Eastern Region, will join us. He will review PFLAG’s initiatives in the last few years covering our new strategic plan goals, our rebranding, our new improved website and how national will be serving and supporting chapters as we go forward, Leading with Love. Following Shaun we will have peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- April 10th – We will be joined by Chris Budin (he/him): over the course of his career, Chris has leveraged educational opportunities to lead workplace equality initiatives. In his current role as both a Sr. Food Technologist and DEI Champion (in leadership with both the US LGBTQ+ Rainbow Council and Veterans Council ERGs), he has facilitated in-house and community-based workshops including anti-bullying, suicide prevention, workplace safety, mental health awareness stigma reduction, disability justice rights, racial, religious & cultural competency awareness by utilizing moments of social and cultural change as essential educational opportunities in partnership with advocacy group including Out & Equal Workplace Advocates and PFLAG National. Chris is on the 501c3 Board at Garden State Equality and currently leads the LGBTQ+ Justice Group Out Front at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair and looks forward to many future collaborations with Out Montclair.. Following Chris we will have peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- May 8th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- June 12th – David Harvie will join us to share about his work within the Roman Catholic Church where, across New Jersey, there are a number of parish-based faith sharing groups that welcome the LGBTQ community. His group “In God’s Image”, based at Church of the Sacred Heart in South Plainfield, has over 100 members and is split between parents and LGBTQ members. The group focuses on finding common ground and building bridges where they can while acknowledging that the Catholic Church evolves very slowly. Following David we will have peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- July 10th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- August 14th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting
- September 11th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- October 9th – Jennifer Williams, the first LGBTQ+ City Council member in Trenton and the first transgender person ever to be elected to a municipal office in New Jersey, will share her experiences as a lifelong Trentonian who has long advocated for the LGBTQ+ community both locally and nationally. In the second half of our meeting we will have peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- November 13th – Peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
- December 11th – Join us for a presentation and discussion with a panel of Princeton University LGBT Center Peer Educators, who will share their stories, answer questions, and discuss LGBTQ+ life at Princeton, followed by peer-facilitated discussion and information sharing in a safe, confidential, non-judgmental setting.
Meeting Ground Rules
WE START AND END OUR MEETINGS ON TIME
We try to arrive on time. We end the meeting on time to be respectful of people’s time.
WE KEEP CONFIDENTIAL ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION SHARED IN THE GROUP
What we share about our personal lives and experiences is to be kept absolutely confidential by all members. We realize that meeting participants or the issues they discuss may not be out anywhere else. What is said in the group, stays in the group.
WE USE “I” STATEMENTS
We encourage all members to speak in the first person, using “I” statements, because we know that we learn when each of us shares our different experiences.
WE DON’T GIVE ADVICE
We do not prescribe, diagnose, judge or give advice. We offer peer support, not therapy or professional services. Rather, we respect each member’s right to reach and make their own personal decisions. We listen, speak as to what has worked for us in similar circumstances, and help members to recognize and explore their options.
WE DON’T MONOPOLIZE THE GROUP’S TIME
We are respectful of the need for all members to participate, by not talking for excessively long periods of time or talking too frequently.
WE STAY POSITIVE
Our group is here to support and encourage positive outcomes.
WE HAVE THE RIGHT NOT TO SPEAK
WE DON’T INTERRUPT OR ENGAGE IN SIDE CONVERSATIONS
WE TURN OUR CELL PHONES OFF AND REFRAIN FROM USING THEM DURING THE MEETING