Support group offers answers

Judy Schroeder was homophobic until 1991, when her son came out of the closet.\nAt first, she thought she did something wrong in raising her son, who is now 30. She had a lot of questions, and she wanted to talk to him about it. But he was struggling with his own issues, she said.\nShe found support with the Bloomington chapter of PFLAG -- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. \n"PFLAG helped me get the answers," Schroeder said.\nShe is now the president of the group.\nPFLAG holds monthly meetings, some which are support-oriented and some which are more informational. The meetings are open to the public, but confidentiality is essential. \n"Confidentiality is an important part of what we do," Schroeder said noting that the age of participants in the group varies from teenagers to 80-year-olds. \nThe organization focuses on helping people get over homophobia and helping them overcome their prejudices, she said.\n"People have a lot of questions, and they have to have a safe place to ask those," Schroeder said. Organizers have noticed that people become more comfortable and accepting of their family's situation over time, she said.\nPFLAG had a support meeting Wednesday night. Dr. Armen Sarkissian, from the Center for Behavioral Health, facilitated a discussion on "overcoming internalized homophobia." \n"You have to go through an unlearning process before you can start learning," Schroeder said of her homophobia. She found support in reading, listening and talking to people about the subject.\nDennis Hill was one person who was instrumental in bringing the group to Bloomington. Hill had set up a panel discussion on campus, sponsored by St. Thomas Lutheran Church, about support for parents of homosexuals. \nThe meeting's attendance was good, and it was obvious there was a need for that kind of group, Hill said. He served as an officer for the organization up until last year.\nPFLAG also serves as a way for homosexuals to deal with coming out, Hill said. IU students often need the group's support because their parents are not nearby, he noted.\n"The group has a nice family feel about it," Hill said.\nCo-founder Robert Fox agrees that there is a special need for a PFLAG chapter in Bloomington because it is a college town. \n"(Bloomington) is a diverse community; lots of people are interested in supporting this kind of group," Fox said. Fox's wife Doris was the founding president of Bloomington PFLAG.\n The national organization provides services, reading materials and a monthly newspaper to help local chapters conduct meetings, Fox said.\n Next month's meeting, Feb. 20, will center around representatives from the Gay-Straight Alliances at the two Bloomington high schools. They will discuss how those alliances are working and how safe the high schools are, Schroeder said.