By Brittany Alana Davis, Times Staff Writer
Friday, January 7, 2011
SPRING HILL — After at least five gay students around the country committed suicide last year in cases that drew widespread media attention, members of the Spring Hill United Church of Christ moved a long-standing agenda item to the front burner.
Next week, the church's members will launch a chapter of PFLAG, a national organization that takes its name from support of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
The chapter will hold a monthly support group, distribute educational materials, provide a hotline and try to connect with school guidance counselors. The first meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the Spring Hill United Church of Christ, 4244 Mariner Blvd. near Libby Road.
"We knew there was no PFLAG chapter in the county, but there are gay and lesbian kids (in Hernando)," said Carlan Helgelson, the ...