Former ex-gay to speak at PFLAG in San Antonio
QSanAntonio.com, April 23, 2011

Marc Adams, the founder of HeartStrong, grew up as the gay son of a fundamentalist minister and was an ex-gay student at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University before he finally came out. Today he is an author and a speaker who works to give moral support to GLBT students who attend religious private schools.

Adams will be in San Antonio on May 26 to tell his story at a presentation to the San Antonio chapter of PFLAG. The presentation will include an open Q & A session as well as an introduction to HeartStrong's Youth Empowerment Project, a multi-year project delivering educator's guides to every k-12 school counselor in the United States.

“Growing up the son of a fundamentalist Baptist minister is tough enough. Growing up gay in an environment where your parents, teachers and peers deem evangelical Christians like Jerry Falwell as leftwing liberals is an entirely different experience,” Adams writes on his web site.

Marc Adams grew up in such a home. In an effort to change his own life, he decided at age 16 to rebel against his parents and attend Liberty University where he thought he could find a way to change his behavior from homosexual to heterosexual. His experience there changed his life and jump-started his journey to self-acceptance and personal freedom. Adams became a Unitarian Universalist in 1999.

Adams is a widely respected for the ground breaking work he’s initiated with his nonprofit, HeartStrong, a social justice organization that provides guidance to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students who are persecuted in religious educational institutions and educates the public about the persecution of GLBT’s in these institutions.

Adams has authored nine books including “The Preacher‘s Son” and “Do’s & Don‘ts of Dealing with the Religious Right.” His newest book, “It's Not About You: Understanding Coming Out & Self-Acceptance,” deals compassionately with the issue of disclosure reaction.

A description of Adams’ presentation is offered on his web site: “Marc Adams’ presentation covers an often dark side of life. He bridges the serious and dark discussion with humor and all-encompassing human compassion. People from all walks of life who have heard Marc Adams speak find themselves enlightened, uplifted and inspired.”

Forums will be held in Dallas, Abilene, New Braunfels, Odessa, San Antonio, Longview and Fort Worth and are sponsored by Unitarian Universalist congregations, PFLAG chapters and other groups.

The San Antonio chapter of PFLAG presents gay author and activist Marc Adams and his presentation, Hope Needs Only Hands & Hearts. The presentation takes place on May 26, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio. The event is free and open to all. For more information on HeartStrong: www.heartstrong.org.

Yvonne Jonas and her husband Leroy at an HRC event in 2007.

Jonas to retire as SA PLFAG president
QSanAntonio.com, January 22, 2011

Yvonne Jonas, president of the San Antonio chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, announced this week that she will retire after 17 years of working with the organization locally.

"PFLAG has been the purpose of my life, working with the community and answering the Help Line," says Jonas. "However my husband of 58 years has leukemia and his legs get tired and he has to rest to keep going. Fortunately he is not in pain, just getting weaker."

Jonas is a much beloved figure in San Antonio's gay community. Aside from working with PFLAG by hosting meetings in her home, she's also been involved with PrideFest, the Stonewall Democrats and other groups. In 1999 she received a Community Service Award from PrideFest. In 2005, she received the Chuck Jordan Award for lifetime advocacy from the San Antonio Chapter of the Human Rights Campaign.

Jonas' work with young people goes back to 1998 when she and local activist Dan Castor started a youth group. "Some of the kids could not drive at their age so they had to figure out how to get to the meetings. A couple of moms would gather them and bring them to the meetings. I was able to help all but one girl come out to her parents."

Over the years Jonas helped counsel countless parents and their children "Most of the parents never knew their children were gay," she says. "I still hear from a few of those young people, some are in their 30's now."

During Jonas' tenure, SA PFLAG also started a second monthly meeting exclusively for Spanish speaking parents and youth.

Jonas has been planning her departure for a while and has worked to make the transition a smooth one. "I have been attending PRO-SA (Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio) since they started meeting about three years ago. Last year I asked them if they could help me with SA PFLAG and they started having extra meetings just for that. All those folks are taking time from their busy lives to work on PFLAG. It's a wonderful thing to see."

In response to Jonas' request for help, PRO-SA is having a Budget Raising Event on January 25 to put funds into the PFLAG bank account. "The MCC folks have paid the rent on our meeting room the last 15 months and we need to start paying now. I have been covering the cost of the Help Line and that has been OK by me. We also have a Post Office box we rent," she says.

Jonas adds that the local PFLAG has not had enough funds to order materials from National PFLAG, so she's had to refer any requests for information directly to them.

In a telephone interview with QSanAntonio, Jonas said that in addition to her departure,Mary Green, her colleague at SA PFLAG, will also be leaving the local organization. Green has worked with Jonas over the years helping promote the organization. Sometimes the two women were the only ones on the membership roster at meetings.

Jonas says that during the transition, Norma Ortega, the mother of a gay son, will step in to provide guidance. "Norma has the experience of visiting several PFLAG's in other cities and wants to help ours. She wants to attend local GLBT events, meetings, fundraisers and other functions in the community."

Even though she's retiring from PFLAG, Jonas says that the community will still see her out at local events and meetings. On the day she spoke with QSanAntonio she was planning to attend the monthly Ladies on the Loose event.

There is no doubt that Jonas' work with PFLAG provided a much needed service to both parents and young people and that she will be sorely missed.

"I had a slogan that I lived by,"she says. "When a Mom calls crying that her child just came out to her, I do not let her hang up until she can smile."

PFLAG San Antonio and PRO (Progressive Religious Organizations) San Antonio are hosting a fundraiser to help fund the operating expenses for PFLAG for the coming year. On Tuesday, January 25 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at the home of Rev. Kenny Davis, Associate Pastor of Madison Square Presbyterian Church, 443 Club Drive. For more information call 735-7191. If you are not able to join us, please consider making a donation by mail. Make checks payable to PFLAG San Antonio and send to PFLAG San Antonio, P.O. Box 33191, San Antonio, Texas 78265-3191.