To create affirming homes Mama Dragons provides programs that specifically address the complexities of navigating non-affirming religions, backgrounds, geographies, and cultures, that focus on parenting the crucial first year after their child comes out.
Mama Dragons mission involves empowering mothers to support, affirm, celebrate, and advocate for their LGBTQ children influencing the family system to follow.
[2] Mama Dragons' focus is on providing online support groups and educational programs where mothers can learn and connect with other Mama Dragons traveling similar paths as they learn accepting and affirming parenting practices that can help prevent LGBTQ youth suicide, depression, and homelessness.
Mama Dragons began in 2013 when Gina Crivello created a message thread to seek advice from some of the mothers she had come to know for a member of the GSA she had recently started at American Fork High School in Utah.
[1] This message thread almost immediately began to grow as more mothers were added that were navigating supporting their children and the intersectionality of their non-affirming Latter-Day Saints (LDS) / Mormon religion.
[7] The group has also garnered media attention for its advocacy and efforts to prevent LGBT Mormon suicides, as well as for bringing a spotlight to the intersection of religion, family, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
[8][9][10] In 2017, Neca Allgood introduced bylaws, created a Board of Directors, and was voted in as Mama Dragons' first president alongside Julie Turnbull as President-Elect serving 1-year terms.
This program is designed for parents, families, and communities and provides the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to affirm, support, and celebrate LGBTQ children.
Paper Hugs In September 2018, Lindsay Kinman's child received cards of encouragement from another Mama Dragon member and in turn she reached out to the community to do the same.