Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning parents of the Palo Alto High School community will attend an inaugural meeting of the Paly LGBTQ Parent Network tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

“The program is late in the coming, but it is great that we are getting started,” said Magdalena Rivera, the Paly GSA adviser and a member of the Palo Alto Unified School District LGBTQ committee. “The first meeting will be informative, and we will see where the group wants to take its direction.”

Not all parent groups are represented in the district, and some are not welcome, according to Rivera. Parents’ natural gravitation toward others who have more in common resulted in an unintentional exclusion of the LGBTQ parents, and such marginalization of parent groups must be dealt with, Rivera said.

“It is important to make recognition [of the LGBTQ parents] and make sure their voices are heard of,” Rivera said.

The LGBTQ Parent Network of Gunn High School has been established for the past two months. Currently comprised of about 10 members, the Gunn LGBTQ parents are trying to develop a core group of participants, according to Daisy Renazco, the Gunn GSA adviser. Over the course of the last couple months, the parent group has made several accomplishments, replacing heterosexist language, mother and father, in the site forms used by teachers with parent and guardian, according to Renazco. In addition, the parent group has been conferring with the staff at Gunn to raise awareness of LGBTQ parents, and it also placed an announcement at the school entrance that says “October is GLBT history month, learn more,” Renazco said.

Renazco believes that the establishment of the Paly LGBTQ Parent Network will be a significant plus for the school community.

“Whenever LGBTQ issues can be addressed in our schools, that is a positive step towards reducing ignorance about the LGBTQ community,” Renazco said.

Becki Cohn-Vargas, PAUSD director of elementary education and the sponsor of the district LGBTQ committee, added: “Their voices need to be heard, and their ideas need to be shared with the entire community. This is what makes our schools a safer and more supportive place for all students.”

The meeting will take place at the home of a Paly LGBT parent, who did not want to be interviewed. If interested in the meeting, where friendly conversation over drinks and snacks will take place, contact Rivera at [email protected] to receive more details.

“We would love to see our parents come and join in an environment that is confidential and safe,” Rivera said.