Colette Roberts, the co-founder and chairperson of the Howard County chapter of PFLAG-Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays was honored by the Howard County Human Rights Commission for leadership within the human rights movement. The ceremony, which took place this evening at the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building in the presence of elected officials, commissioners and guests, also honored Rev. Dr. Robert A. F. Turner. They will have their names added to a list of human and civil rights champions inscribed on a plaque permanently displayed in the county building's lobby. Colette has been an amazing leader on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) issues and continues to serve as an inspirational role model," said Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National. "I'm very proud of her selection by the Human Rights Commission." In accepting her award, Ms. Roberts acknowledged the work of the chapter in supporting parents and families of GLBT children but also in trying to eradicate discrimination. "We welcome everyone who shares in the vision of a world that respects all people," she said. Ms. Roberts pointed out that even in Howard County, "we still have a lot of work cut out for us."

Ms. Roberts related the experiences told by her grandchildren during her recent visit to San Antonio, Texas where full acceptance of GLBT individuals has not progressed that far. "Let's take a lesson from my grandchildren, [the chapter's] Rainbow Youth Alliance and GLBT children all over the world and be courageous. Please speak out against discrimination and don't allow yourself to be bullied into silence," she implored. The award is presented annually by the Human Rights Commission to individuals who have made personal sacrifices to make significant contributions to the citizens of Howard County. Calvin Ball, Chair of the County Council said, "Colette Roberts is a committed public servant, and we're lucky to have her in Howard County."

The Baltimore Sun Feature on Colette Roberts

Sunday, December 4th, 2005

The December 4th edition of the Howard County section of the Baltimore Sun features an excellent in-depth article on Colette Roberts and the Columbia/Howard County PFLAG chapter. You can read it here. Equality Maryland Jazz Brunch Honors Colette Roberts and Our Chapter   Sunday, November 20th, 2005 This event was absolutely incredible. Beyond belief and expectations. Positive and uplifting. Almost 700 people attended. We know that we can overcome the forces of prejudice and homophobia. Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley spoke. The Executive Director of the NAACP, Julian Bond spoke. You can read his remarks on the Equality Maryland website. And our chapter's chair, Colette Roberts was honored along with our chapter for all she's done and all we've done. National PFLAG Visits Our Chapter   Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of National PFLAG, visited us for our regular monthly meeting. He wrote about his visit and about our chapter in his Weekly Alert. You can read it here. The Great Marriage Debate   Tuesday, October 11th, 2005 The debate was held as planned. Approximately 160 people attended. Arguing for marriage for same-sex couples was gay activist Rev. Anthony McCarthy and PFLAG Dad and Advocacy Committee Co-Chair Dan McCarthy. Arguing against same-sex-marriage was Tres Kerns, founder of of Take Back Maryland and director of Vote Marriage and Grady Tallington, Jr., field director for Vote Marriage. The debate was moderated by the League of Women Voters. Read coverage of this debate: Steve Charing of Baltimore OutLoud Of Interest National Survey of Teens Shows Anti-Gay Bullying Common in Schools Survey Results of teens released by the National Mental Health Association shows that Bullying and other harassment towards gay teens and teens who are perceived to be gay is widespread in America's schools and communities. Read More: News Release      Abstract and Executive Summary      PDF Also a new Publication was released by NMHA "What does Gay Mean?" How to Talk with Kids about Sexual Orientation and Prejudice Booklet for Parents Click for free download Print Version (154kPDF)    This site was developed by Applied Information Technologies