Family Week is an annual gathering of LGBTQ families, focused on celebrating our families, building community, and creating connections for children and parents that will last a lifetime.
For the 22nd time, we joined hundreds of LGBTQ families last week in beautiful Provincetown, Massachusetts for Family Week, the world’s largest annual gathering of LGBTQ parents and their children. At this year’s event, running from July 29 to August 5, 2017, we welcomed over 1,350 registered attendees plus hundreds of additional community members who joined us in Provincetown for a family-friendly week on the Cape. Participants joined us from 28 states across the country, and we welcomed international visitors from Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
Each year, Family Week provides programmed events for all LGBTQ family members — from our allies, to those in their family-planning stages, to the grandparents in our community, ranging from fun for the kids, through educational sessions for parents, to whole community events like our popular beach campfire night.
Reflecting on his second Family Week as CEO, Rev. Stan J. Sloan emphasized that “gathering so many diverse LGBTQ families together in one place for one week is an incredibly powerful experience, and I know that I speak for all of Family Equality Council’s staff, Board members, and volunteers that we come away from Family Week energized to continue to fight to create a better future for LGBTQ families, and those who wish to form them.”
Family Week is the centerpiece of Family Equality Council’s programmatic work for LGBTQ families. Chief Program Officer Brent Wright highlights how Family Week reminds us all how vital Family Equality Council’s mission is to our families: “Over and over at Family Week, we meet beautiful families who have faced obstacles and challenges forming their families that no-one should have to face. Family Equality Council is dedicated to fighting for lived and legal equality for all LGBTQ families, and connecting with this vibrant, passionate community every year in Provincetown reminds us how vital this fight is.”
To get a taste of the Family Week experience, watch this year’s video above, or click here to view the full photo album on Flickr. If you want to join us next year, it’s never too early to start planning: Family Week 2018 will take place July 28 — August 4, 2018, and while registration will open in December you can start making plans right away!
We asked some families “What do you love about Family Week?” Here are just a few of the responses:
“Wonderful new friends; amazing new memories; spending a week in a place where families like ours are not in the minority.”
“One really amazing thing is having families like ours be the majority. You have no idea how good it will feel until that’s the reality.”
“It’s just so great. And so many activities for the little ones! My only regret is that we didn’t start going when the boys were younger.”
“Gay parenting is STILL transgressive … we are NOT following the usual path. Therefore a week of us together is very empowering.”
“I loved the community it gave me and my gender non-conforming kid.”
“The new friendships and ease of getting to know people, everyone is so open and friendly. We also learn a lot from meeting different people and hearing their stories and perspectives on LGBTQ life and parenting.”
“It’s an investment in your children to see a concentration of other families that look just like theirs.”