World-famous advice column advocates gay marriage
One of the best-known syndicated newspaper columns in the work, Dear Abby, has backed gay marriage.
The column, which has been dispensing common sense to troubled Americans since 1956, also spoke out against homophobic slurs and parents who disown kids who come out to them.
“I believe if two people want to commit to each other, God bless ’em,” she told Associated Press.
“That is the highest form of commitment, for heaven’s sake.”
The column was written for many years by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips and is now written by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips. Both use the pen name Abigail (Abby) Van Buren.
Dear Abby is syndicated to more than 1,400 newspapers worldwide, and a daily readership of more than 110 million people.
Abby receives more than 10,000 letters and e-mails per week.
According to her website:
“No one refuses a call from Abby. She has access to the most respected and reliable sources in the world.
“Her sources include Supreme Court justices, senators, members of Congress, civil rights leaders, world-renowned doctors and scientists, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and even the President of the United States.”
From tomorrow hundreds of families and allies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people will be in Washington, D.C., for the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National Convention.
Dear Abby will receive the first-ever Straight for Equality award for her promotion of PFLAG as a resource for family members with gay loved ones.
New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson will be honoured with the Flag Bearer Award for his leadership and vocal support for inclusion in faith communities.
Both awards will be presented at the PFLAG National Gala on Saturday evening.
Dear Abby is being honoured for “her decades of work as a straight ally sending a message of fairness and inclusion to her readers.”
The column has repeatedly informed readers about the work PFLAG does.
“I hate discrimination,” said Dear Abby.
“In my column and in my daily life, I have always promoted fairness for all people, and I admire the work that PFLAG does for the friends and families of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.”
“That’s why I’m pleased to help launch Straight for Equality, an important effort to bring even more fair-minded voices to the forefront in supporting a safe and welcoming society for all.
“And that is why I am honoured to accept the first Straight for Equality award.”
“This year’s Convention will be better than ever,” added Jody M. Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National.
Straight for Equality is a new project that aims to motivate the vast audience of fair-minded Americans who wish to more actively support equality in their daily lives.
It aims to empower people who may not have LGBT family members but who nonetheless want to curb homophobia in their daily lives-from speaking up when hearing an anti-gay joke to openly supporting equality in their workplaces to taking action to change anti-LGBT policies.
