The Empowered Woman: Lynn Green

When you sit across from Lynn Green, you immediately feel the gentleness, the steadiness, the quiet courage of a woman who never asked to be in the spotlight but stepped into it anyway because love demanded it.

Lynn is a mother of two, a longtime DFCS leader, and the founder and president of PFLAG Rome, an organization that has transformed the landscape of support, safety, and affirmation for LGBTQ+ people and their families across Northwest Georgia. But her journey into advocacy didn’t begin with a plan. It began with a moment that changed everything.

In late 2019, Lynn’s oldest child came out as transgender. She remembers the moment vividly: the fear, the uncertainty, the instinct to protect, and the heartbreaking realization that she didn’t yet know how. “I thought I was being supportive,” she says softly. “But everything I said was the wrong thing. I didn’t understand yet. I was scared for him — scared his life would be so hard, especially in our little town.”

What followed was a season of learning. Lynn spent countless hours reading every book, every article, every resource she could find. Lynn quickly became aware that she needed community, guidance, and people who understood. But in Rome, Georgia, there was nothing. Eventually, Lynn discovered PFLAG, but the closest chapters were in metro Atlanta. When the pandemic pushed everything online, she began attending weekly virtual parent groups. “For months, I just sat and listened,” she says. “It was the first time I realized I wasn’t alone.” Eventually, those chapters asked her to become a facilitator. And eventually, Lynn realized something else: Northwest Georgia needed this. Desperately.

So in late 2020, terrified but determined, Lynn held the first informational Zoom call and 35 people attended! “It was incredible and scary,” she laughs. “I had never stood in front of people. I had never organized anything. But those 35 people gave me the courage to keep going.”

Today, PFLAG Rome is celebrating its five‑year anniversary, and it has grown into something far bigger than Lynn ever imagined. While most PFLAG chapters primarily support parents and families, Rome’s chapter is unique: the majority of attendees are LGBTQ+ people themselves. In a region with no other year‑round affirming organizations, PFLAG Rome has become the safe place.

Their offerings now include:

• Adult discussion groups (18+)

• Teen social groups with crafts, bowling, and community

• A monthly all‑ages book club

• Safe Space Trainings for businesses, churches, civic groups, and neighborhoods

• Resource lists for affirming therapists, doctors, dentists, attorneys, realtors, and more

• Advocacy at the local and state level

• Partnerships with Georgia Equality, Lambda Legal, HRC, and other statewide organizations

“We’re the only year‑round affirming organization here,” Lynn says. “People come to us because there’s nowhere else to go.”

When Lynn talks about safe space, she doesn’t talk about politics or programs. She talks about people. She talks about the mom and grandmother who came to a meeting trembling with nerves and left with 30 hugs, phone numbers, and a new community. She talks about the people who come for months and never speak, and how that’s okay. She talks about confidentiality, compassion, and the power of shared experience. And she talks about education and not relying on one queer person to represent an entire community, but learning from many voices, many stories, many lives.

“It’s not a child’s responsibility to educate their parents,” she says. “Come learn from people who want to talk about it. Come learn from community.” Lynn’s final words are powerful. “We are here. Even if you don’t need PFLAG, someone you know does.”

PFLAG Rome is 100% volunteer‑run and 100% community‑funded. All events are free. Discussion groups are RSVP‑only for safety, but social events are open to all. You can learn more at pflagromega.org, follow them on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up for their email list.

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