Son Refuses to Participate until His and Other Families are Treated Fairly
San Francisco – COLAGE: People with a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ) Parent applauds the family of Carter Langbert of Fort Worth, Texas, whose father was denied his leadership position with his local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America due to their discriminatory policy against gays.
Carter, age 9, told CNN “I don’t think I’ll stay in [the Cub Scouts] if they don’t treat him [my dad] and me fairly, and all the other gay parents.”
COLAGE offers to help the Langbert family, and any other families in the Fort Worth area to start a local COLAGE chapter so that youth can connect with a community of peers who also have LGBTQ parents.
“Living in a world that treats LGBTQ families differently can be isolating and challenging,” said Beth Teper, Executive Director of COLAGE, “by connecting with a community of our peers and our allies we realize our difference is our strength, and we are better able to advocate for ourselves and our families.”
At this time of heightened media awareness of youth taking their own lives due to anti-LGBTQ bullying COLAGE recognizes that children of LGBTQ parents and others associated with LGBTQ people often face bullying and discrimination at school or in their community.
COLAGE is committed to supporting LGBTQ Texans and their families to continue to elevate the unique perspectives of people with an LGBTQ parent and ensure that LGBTQ family voices are heard on the issues that matter most. From relationship recognition to safer schools, we are working to improve the policies that shape our family’s day to day lives.
For interviews or more information about COLAGE please contact Mark Snyder, mark@colage.org, 415-861-5437 and visit www.colage.org.
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COLAGE is a national movement of children, youth, and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) parent/s. We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education, and advocacy.