History of COLAGE Panel

Join us for a panel about the history of COLAGE with original founder and early members who helped bolster COLAGE as a new organization in the 1990s. You’ll get to hear what it was like for our panelists to grow up with LGBTQ+ parents in the 80s and 90s and learn bout COLAGE’s dynamic and humble beginnings. We will discuss the legacy of the early days as well as how the organization has changed and grown.

Pictured above, a logo from the 90s when we just wanted a piece of the pie.

Stefan Lynch (he/him) is a father of 3 children and Director of Nursing at Philadelphia FIGHT. Stefan did his first interviews as the child of gay parents in the late 1970’s. He coined the term COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) in 1992 – the first year he got involved with “just for us” and later coined the term “queerspawn”. Stefan was the first Director of COLAGE from 1993-1997. He is a “bothie” – his mom and dad both came out when he was too young to remember, and was raised in Toronto and the Bay Area. His step-dad and dad and many of his aunties died of AIDS.

Felicia Park-Rogers (she/her) lives in Brooklyn, NY with her two college-aged sons. She grew up in San Francisco’s queer/pre-HIV heyday with her gay dad and lesbian mom. Her dad has been HIV+ since 1984. Felicia is bi and worked in queer youth/youth empowerment spaces before becoming COLAGE’s executive director from 1996 through 2002. She is a forever fan of COLAGE.

Kyle Ranson-Walsh (he/him) served on the COLAGE steering committee/board from 1996-2003. He first became involved when his gay dad brought him to the 1990 GLPCI (now Family Equality) conference in Washington D.C. Kyle has saved decades of COLAGE paraphernalia and is now channeling his curator tendencies into the RAB archival committee. He lives in Brooklyn with his seven-year-old daughter.

Mike Beebe (he/him) is a facilitator, coach, trainer and consultant for individuals, groups, and community organizations working to create a more just world. Mike joined COLAGE in 1993 in the wake of Amendment 2, an anti-gay bill, in Colorado when he had his ‘personal is political’ moment and was excited to connect with other kids of gay parents. Mike’s dad came out when he was 11 and growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. Mike now lives with his family in Seattle. Mike was the Board Chair of COLAGE from 1994-1995 and now serves on the RAB.

Beth Teper (all pronouns welcome), raised part city mouse, part country mouse in and around San Francisco, was 10 years old when hir mom came out as a lesbian. After a few years on the east coast for college, Beth moved back to the SF bay area to live in/on unceded Huichin Lisjan territory (aka Oakland CA) and still lives there now with their wife. Beth held several different roles/positions in COLAGE from 1994 – 2012.

Ali Dubin (she/her) is a psychotherapist raised by a gay dad and a straight mom who chose to stay together until he died in 1995. Ali’s Dad ran the Gay Father’s (which became Gay & Lesbian Parents) group in LA and in 1987, Ali founded the LA group for kids with LGBT parents. In 1990, in Washington DC at a GLPCI conference in a room full of kids with LGBTQIA++ parents facilitated by a sweet gay dad, Ed Lamanno – the kids all decided this group should be a safe space without parents in the room with us. Ed lovingly turned it over to “the kids” and Just For Us (lovingly coined by sisters and original steering committee members, Molly and Anna Heller) was born. Ali was one of COLAGE’s original co-directors and is now proudly part of the Retro Advisory Board. When she’s not seeing clients, she’s walking the beach where she now lives in Oregon.