Families and friends of homosexual students will have a chance to share their experiences and feelings today during the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) meeting. The meeting is being hosted by the Ames-ISU YWCA and will be at noon in Room 236 of the Memorial Union. Carolyn Cutrona, president of the Ames chapter of PFLAG, said the discussion will focus on families with LGBT children. “Three parents of gay or lesbian offspring will talk to people in terms of what PFLAG is and tell personal stories about adjusting to the fact that their child is different, and how we can make the world a more hospitable place,” she said. Cutrona said the group is designed to provide support to family and friends who may not know how to react when a person comes out. “The parents of a gay teen are confused, hurt, frightened and worried that their child is going to hell, if they are very religious,” said Cutrona, professor of psychology. “My daughter came out to me when she was in eighth grade. A lot of parents are very rejecting, but I’ve tried to be a mom to the gay kids at the high school to let them know that someone loves them.” Cutrona said the Ames chapter of PFLAG, which began meeting in January 1997 and has about 20 members, has three primary goals. “We provide support to LGBT people and families and friends, provide education to the community about LGBT issues and take social action to try to make the community a safer and more welcoming place for LGBT people,” she said. Cutrona said in addition to providing support, PFLAG members are highly active in the Ames community. “We offer educational training to teachers in the high school to make the school a better place, and we lobbied very actively at the Ames School Board to add the words `sexual orientation’ to their non-discrimination policy and harassment policies,” she said. Judy Dolphin, director of the Ames-ISU YWCA, said the meeting is part of the “Wednesdays at the Y” program sponsored by the YWCA. Dolphin said the program is designed to bring in speakers to discuss current issues with ISU students. Dolphin said she hopes the discussion will help educate students about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and “eliminate all forms of discrimination.” “We know that various groups have had their challenges. Sexual orientation has been a hot topic recently and I think it is one of the last bastions, one of the last groups of people it is accepted to hate,” she said. “Having family members speak out puts a human face on a sometimes generic issue.”