How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town

Every town should have a group for gay and lesbian families because every family matters, regardless of who their family consists of. A family group allows parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters or even friends to bring the children in their life to a function where they can truly feel comfortable, have fun with a sense of belonging.

If you want to start a group for gay and lesbian families in your hometown, you need to know where to start. There are many things to consider before doing so, research to be done, as well as asking yourself if you are really ready to take on such a serious task. This article will give you a few things to consider.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #1: Do Research

You need to do research to see if there is already a group for gay and lesbian families in your town. You don't want to step on any toes by starting one of your own if there is already one established. If there is not one, then you can take the steps to starting your own. If there already is a group established, ask them if you can help. I wanted to help my local Family group (called Family OUTings) that had thrived when I first joined but had declined afterwards. I offered to help the previous organizers but they had some stuff going on in their life and were unable to continue the group. I got the green light from our LGBTQ group to go ahead and start planning OUTings. If you have a family group that has gone dead, try to revive it (with permission). If you can't get permission, try starting something small on your own. It's important to always do research before jumping in with an idea. It'll save you time in the long run.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #2: Ask the Local LGBTQ Board for help

Most large and medium size towns have a LGBTQ group that represents the LGBTQ community. If you do have a group, ask them for their assistance in starting a family group. They could help connect you with other members in the community who may be interested in a family group like you are. They could also help spread the word about your group and possibly offer other help.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #3: Start Small

Now that you've made the decision to start your own gay and lesbian family group in your town, it's important to remember to start small in the beginning. You don't want to overextend yourself for a number of reasons. First, you don't want to go all out and exhaust yourself so you don't enjoy your first family outing. Second, if you don't get the response you had hoped for, you won't feel as disappointed if you go with something more low key then a huge extravaganza.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #4: Don't Limit Yourself to Only Allowing the LGBTQ Community

The LGBTQ community has several straight supporters that have stood by us and supported us during our struggles. If you have straight supporters that have kids and they want to come to your event, I recommend letting them. After all...every family matters (which should be the motto of all Family OUTing's group in my opinion), no matter what their sexual orientation is.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #5: Except Some Negativity

Unfortunately the LGBTQ community is not treated equal as you probably already know. Some people are simply so close minded, that they won't be able to fathom the idea of a happy gay and lesbian family group. You just have to ignore the haters. The point of a family group is going out in the community and hanging out with likeminded people. Don't sweat the negativity that may come your way for starting a gay and lesbian family group.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #6: Accept Help

No one should have to do it all alone, so if you get an offer of help you should seriously consider accepting it. It could be an offer to help spread the word or help set up. It's hard to do it by yourself. Everyone will still think you are a good leader if you accept a helping hand.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #7: Be Committed

A family group needs a leader who will be committed. Since there are children involved, you don't want to blow off events. Kids need stability and so does your group if you want it to last. If you can't dedicate the proper time and energy to the group, find a partner to help you or don't start one and ask someone else to.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #8: Offer Events that Everyone Can Go To

One of the most important things that I try to do when I organize events is to offer events that are free in addition to ones that are moderate in price. Not everyone can afford going to an event and by offering some free events, you ensure that there is something for everyone in the group. It's important not to leave a part of your group members out if they simply don't have the funds.

How to Start a Family Group for Gay and Lesbian Families in Your Town #9: Relax!

Now that you've gone through all the steps, relax! You have to have fun at these events too. No one wants to see their leader stressed out. Make sure that everything is running smoothly but don't forget to give yourself time to have fun at the events you planned.