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Beloved Free Mom Hugs Organize First Conference in Oklahoma City

Beloved Free Mom Hugs Organize First Conference in Oklahoma City

Free mom hugs

The group doles out friendly squeezes to LGBTQ+ people who otherwise wouldn’t get them.

Cwnewser

Oklahoma City will become the place for hugs this weekend when more than 400 expected people attend the first national conference of the group Free Mom Hugs.

The conference will feature speeches from educator, dad, and author Chasten Buttigieg, husband of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. It will also feature nonbinary Oklahoma state Rep. Maureen Turner.

We empower the world to celebrate the LGBTQ+ through visibility, education, and conversation,” Free Mom Hugs Founder Sara Cunningham told Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO.

She founded the organization after she stopped looking down upon the LGBTQ+ community and accepted her gay son after he came out to her. As she grew to accept her son’s sexuality, in 2015, she started giving free hugs to queer attendees of the Oklahoma City Pride Festival, knowing that some of them had been rejected from their families.

On that day, the organization was founded, and it has grown ever since.

The group hopes the weekend event will go a long way in advancing their campaign for acceptance throughout the United States.

“All in an effort to educate and empower families with gay children to be able to make sure we make Oklahoma a safe place, and the country really, for our gay kids,” Cunningham said.

As far as Parker is concerned, an event like this is vital for Oklahoma because of the message it conveys.

“We’re in this ultra-conservative place reminding people there’s people who love you everywhere,” Parker Cuningham told KOCO.

Free Mom Hugs’ work benefits the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, he said proudly.

Cwnewser
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Christopher Wiggins

Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).
Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).