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Monday, Mar 22, 2010
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PFLAG elects Skagit County's Kathy Reim regional director |
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| PFLAG elects Skagit County's Kathy Reim regional director | ||
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by Tim Peter -
SGN Staff Writer Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) recently announced that Kathy Reim, of Sedro-Woolley, has been elected Regional Director for PFLAG in the Pacific Northwest. The region includes Washington State, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. She takes over from Marcie Mathis of Bremerton, who served for three years as regional director. "PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity," according to their website. Reim has served as president of Skagit County PFLAG, which has been meeting in Sedro-Woolley since 2001; she has also volunteered as Washington State Coordinator since 2003. In this new role, she will work with chapters across the region to help members support, educate and advocate in their communities. Her history with PFLAG goes back nearly two decades. "My daughter came out to me on July 4, 1990, as we were driving across west Texas. We knew it was a momentous time in our lives. We were in the closet as a family. We had a huge family in Texas, which we knew would be problematic, and still is. I have a cousin in Texas who is wonderful and accepting of us. However, my two brothers have said we're not welcome in their homes. That is because of their religious beliefs. I want them to see that it's keeping us apart when it shouldn't. So I'm up here working hard for Washington families. "We lived in Bellingham in the early '90s, and there was no PFLAG [there at the time]," she said. "I [soon] learned about a chapter in Seattle. They were so helpful. I got their newsletters and read every one, every word. I once read a story [in a newsletter] from a father and wished I could share my story like he did. "We moved to Sedro-Woolley in 2001, and I learned of a new chapter at the Methodist church there," she said. "I went to the first meeting and became president right away, because [of my] background" as a teacher and mediator. "I'm really glad [my daughter] Rachel didn't give up on me. It took me about 15 years to get to where I am now with PFLAG. No one should have to wait that long. We accept our daughter and daughter-in-law. We even include [them] in our Christmas newsletters. We talked about sharing with others, and we finally decided that we're going to say what we have to say and let [others] deal with it." "Sometimes, people think that what I do is really noble," she added." This is not noble, because I get to use the skills I've learned over my life. I'm having a wonderful time!" Reim is a retired teacher and trained mediator; she taught 15 years each in Sedro-Woolley Middle and High Schools and continues to work as Skagit County mediator. She became Washington State coordinator after attending PFLAG's 2003 National Conference in Salt Lake City. In that role, she said, "I offered support for small chapters that were just starting in rural parts of Washington. We had phone conversations with other chapter leaders across the state. They were almost like workshops over the phone." She added, "This new role is similar to being state coordinator but expanded to offer support in other states. I will probably use the same model with them [as I've used in Washington]. The PFLAG National Conference provided training for this job, and I also use my own skills as a teacher and mediator." "We [also] do invitations and celebrations," Reim said. "There are wonderful things going on in different communities. My daughter lives near Tacoma, so we let each other know what's going on in our communities. It's a way of networking across the state. It also allows us to work together with allied organizations such as Equal Rights Washington, Seattle Men's and Women's Choruses, etc. They come out to rural communities and bring so much excitement and hope for all of us." "Our hope is to make sure that the existing chapters continue to be strong," she said. "In our chapters, everyone is welcome. Half of our meetings include GLBTQ people. We're working at building new chapters, and that's happening very rapidly. What's happening at the national level is showing that rural assistance is needed. We are the only GLBTQ resource in Skagit County, and there is no GLBTQ service center north of Seattle." The Sedro-Woolley chapter also includes a youth group, which has been going since 2002 and is run by local parents, as well as two skilled facilitators. They call themselves The Fab 5, which means fabulous GLBTQ. "[We want the youth] to learn to make good decisions, to be safe at school," she said. "We also know our kids can be at higher risk. We want them to be safe and to stay in the [Skagit] Valley if they want. There are some schools here that are very good, and some schools that are not. It's true in urban as well as rural schools." "I tell kids sometimes that they have to be the strong ones. We're fighting hard for marriage equality. We're fighting for someone to take them to the hospital, to provide financial equality, etc. All that would be different if our culture would change," she said. She added that many people in rural communities are quite hungry for news about what is going on in the GLBTQ community and that they appreciate the information they receive from sources in Seattle and elsewhere. |
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