Ben Affleck, Cyndi Lauper and Dick Gephardt Show Support for Gay Issues in New Public Service Ads
"Stay Close" Campaign pairs straight celebrities with gay and lesbian relatives

Rolling billboard introduces the Stay Close campaign in Alexandria, VA on Valentines Day

New York, NY—February 10, 2005—Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today launched "Stay Close," a new educational advertising campaign designed to help families and friends better understand and accept the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people in their lives and to keep those relationships intact. The campaign, featuring photographs of straight celebrities and well-known personalities with their GLBT family members and friends, will first appear in high profile outdoor, print and transit advertising space in New York and Washington, DC. Print ads will begin appearing nationally in Time, Inc. publications beginning in mid-February.

Despite statistics showing that one in four American families includes someone who is gay, GLBT people are often rejected by their loved ones because of their sexual orientation. PFLAG developed the Stay Close campaign to help keep families and friends together.

"Society has made progress, but not enough has changed," said Barbara Warner, national spokeswoman for the Campaign. "Even in the age of Will and Grace, many GLBT people are still living on the margins of our culture and remain isolated from those they love. The ramifications of this are staggering and for some are a matter of life or death."

Statistics show GLBT people experience greater rates of depression, homelessness, harassment and suicide. One study found that 40 percent of the 1.3 million homeless youth living on America's streets are thought to be GLBT children thrown out of their homes by their parents. Further, a third of all youth suicides are related to issues of sexual identity.

The Stay Close campaign advertisements feature straight celebrities and well-known personalities with their GBLT relatives. Currently, six separate ads depict actor Ben Affleck with his cousin Jason; singer Cyndi Lauper with her sister Elen; Congressman and Mrs. Richard Gephardt with their daughter Crissy; Latina media mogul Cristina Saralegui with her brother Ignacio; singer Barbara Cook with her son Adam; and New York Congressman Gregory Meeks with his brother John.

"People need this campaign—both gay and straight," said Cyndi Lauper. "I want people to know that it's about changing hearts and minds. It's about moving from simple tolerance to understanding to acceptance. But, ultimately, it's about unconditional love."

The ads can be viewed online on the new Stay Close Web site — www.stayclose.org. The Web site features information about each celebrity, background about PFLAG and the Stay Close campaign, resources for families and friends of lesbians and gays and related information.

About Stay Close

In 2002, PFLAG New York took the lead in developing an awareness campaign targeting parents, families, teachers, clergy, politicians, GLBT people, and the general public to educate them about the importance of maintaining and strengthening the most important relationships in their lives. The goal was to reach people who would most benefit from PFLAG's services and, ultimately, to increase acceptance, reduce bigotry, and change hearts and minds.

PFLAG New York partnered with Metro DC PFLAG and recruited talented individuals from various fields (advertising, PR, law, media) to work pro bono on the awareness effort, which became known as the "Stay Close" campaign. After three years of hard work by a large group of members, staff, and professional volunteers, PFLAG NY and PFLAG Metro DC are proud to launch "Stay Close," featuring straight celebrities with their gay relatives. The message is clear: Stay Close to your loved ones because relationships are too precious to lose.

About PFLAG

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) is a national non-profit organization with over 250,000 members and supporters and over 500 affiliates in the United States. While the size of these affiliates varies, all function to provide support, education, and advocacy. PFLAG affiliates work to provide opportunities for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and act to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.