Author and Free Mom Hugs founder Sara Cunningham to share her vision September 8 with Canadian County Democrats
YUKON, Okla. – Sara Cunningham, author and executive director and founder of Free Mom Hugs, will share her journey “from the church to the pride parade without losing my faith or my child” from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, September 8.
The Canadian County Democrats will host the meeting at the Yukon Police Department, 100 S. Ranchwood.
Everyone is invited without regard to political parties.
Cunningham is a proud and loving mom of a gay son, the author of the memoir, “How We Sleep At Night,” a powerful speaker and advocate, and a respected voice for religious parents of LGBTQIA+ children.
The acronym LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. The plus sign represents identities not listed in the acronym.
Free Mom Hugs is a non-partisan, 501(c)3 organization that empowers the world to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education and conversation.
The organization has more than 50,000 volunteers and active chapters in every U.S. state and three other countries.
Cunninham and her husband have been married more than 30 years and live in Oklahoma City.
The global phenomenon began in Oklahoma City when Cunninham started holding up “Free Mom Hugs” signs at pride festivals.
“My first hug went to a girl who said it’d been four years since her mom hugged her because she’s a lesbian,” Cunninham explained. “I pulled her in tight and said, ‘Well, I’m a mom, and here’s a hug, and I’m not letting go until you do.’”
“We literally embrace people of all faiths, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations,” she added. “Our goal is to change the world simply by showing up.”
Cunningham uses her own experience as a guide and passionately connects with faith, civic, business and government leaders in efforts to make the world a kinder, safer place for LGBTQIA+ people.
“I’m not the first mom to offer a hug at a pride parade,” Cunningham said, “but we heard stories about how young people had lost relationships and a sense of belonging with family, church and home, so we accepted $5 and $10 donations and did what we could with it by helping people who were homeless, couch surfing or needed help with a phone bill.”
“I went all ‘fan girl’ when I met Sara at the Great Plains Rodeo in El Reno because I’d seen her at parades and heard about the wonderful things she does and has done, including founding Free Mom Hugs,” Canadian County Democrats Chair Jody Harlan said. “Sara speaks to the facts without throwing the church under the bus and has a message for love and compassion that all of us can hear and hopefully embrace.”
The Canadian County Democrats stream meetings on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5515451639. The meeting ID is 551 545 1639 and the passcode is 3600. The group reserves the right to refuse entry or remove participants who disrupt any meeting.
For more information about Free Mom Hugs, visit https://freemomhugs.org/.
For more information about the Canadian County Democrats, visit Facebook @CanadianCoDems, Instagram @canadiancodems, email jodyharlan@gmail.com or phone 405-326-3600.
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