With over 700 member families, which include over 2,500 people, and thousands more participating in our activities, Our Family Coalition is the largest local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) family organization in the country.

Here is an overview of what we have to offer:

Social Events

Our Family Coalition hosts many events in both San Francisco and the East Bay where families can connect and have fun together.  These events include picnics, excursions, LGBTQ Family Night at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA, the Family Gardens at the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride in Oakland, LGBTQ Family Weekend in Guerneville, and many more. 

School Advocacy Program

Our School Advocacy Program works with parents, teachers, administrators and others not only to create more welcoming schools for the children of LGBTQ headed households, but also to break down anti-gay bias at an early age through our School Forums, parent advocacy groups and teacher trainings.  We have also successfully helped write and pass school board policies that protect our families from harassment in schools.  

Peer Support Groups

Our support groups provide a forum for LGBTQ individuals to meet, explore shared concerns, receive assistance from their peers, and learn from experts. Our regularly scheduled groups include Mamas & Papas, a Transracial Adoption group, a Transgender Parent group, a Prospective Parent group, and the brand new Mamas & Papas East Bay group.  For those of you who prefer to meet online, we have three member listservs – our-moms-in-touch, our-dads-in-touch, and ourfamily-in-touch.

Access Program

We offer trainings at medical settings and social service agencies to institutionalize a better understanding of LGBTQ families so that these professionals can better serve us. We are also producing a parent to parent resource guide, Best of the Gay Bay, of LGBTQ family friendly businesses and services in the Bay Area.

Educational Workshops

Our educational workshops provide support and resources on a range of topics, including legal rights and protections, family building, coming out to your children, marriage equality, talking with children about their origins, child development and more.

Social Justice

We strive to increase visibility and achieve justice and full equality for LGBTQ families. Along with our families, we work with local, state and national coalitions to advocate for change on issues relevant to our families, including marriage equality and healthcare reform. In the media and in political forums, we work to improve public perception of and policy for LGBTQ families. Recently the details of our needs assessment were made public, bringing the spotlight in the media to the racial and economic diversity of our families.

Information & Outreach

We publish a quarterly print newsletter to all of our members, and a bi-weekly e-newsletter to keep you informed about events, news and issues of interest to our community.