In 1972, Jeanne and Jules Manford watched their television in horror as their gay son was physically assaulted during televised coverage of a gay rights protest while police stood by and did nothing. Later, Jeanne marched with her son in their city’s Gay Pride March, carrying a sign that identified herself as the proud mother of a gay child. Lesbians and gay men attending the parade rushed up to Jeanne and asked if she could help their parents become as accepting as she was. A year later, the Manfords organized a group of about twenty people whose goal was to offer support to the families of gays and lesbians. By 1979, grassroots groups identifying themselves as PFLAG—Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays—had sprung up all across the United States. Twenty PFLAG groups formed a national...