Frances Goldin was not only a proud mom to two gay daughters, but she gladly served as a loving presence for people who didn't receive the same acceptance from their own parents.
After both her daughters came out to her in 1971, Goldin attended Pride in New York City where she was always photographed holding the same touching sign. It read, "I Adore My Lesbian Daughters — Keep Them Safe."
This June is the first Pride month in decades where Goldin and her signature sign aren't celebrating on the streets of New York City. Sadly, she passed away in May.
The Washington Post caught up with Goldin, a literary agent and community activist, in 1997 at Pride in New York City. She said her daughters, Reenie and Sally, were marching in parades in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.
Goldin, who was 73 at the time, said people would approach her with their phone numbers and ask if they could "adopt" her as their mother. "Difference enriches us all," Goldin said. (She added that she would make sure to call each and every one of them.)
In 2016, at the age of 92, she talked with Buzzfeed about why it was important to her to show up for Pride every year.
"Since the beginning of the parade, I’ve been going and waving my sign," Goldin said. "It sort of hit a nerve with people, particularly those whose parents rejected them. The response to the sign is always so great — it urges me to keep going."
In nearly 50 years, Goldin only missed one parade due to a heart attack, but she was back the following year and discovered she was missed.
"The following year, two people approached me. One was a cop in the NYPD and said we missed you last year," she told CNN. "Oh my God, I was so amazed at that comment. It was very touching."
A photo from last year's World Pride in New York City shows that Goldin was back on the streets once again with, of course, her memorable sign by her side.
And while some parents accept their children despite their differences, Goldin was a champion for loving her children because of them.
“I always tell other parents that you’ll never find more giving children than gays and lesbians,” she told HuffPost in 2016. “And that I have the most devoted, loving, helpful, useful children in the world because I support my kids and they support me. So, please, cherish your lesbian and gay children.”
Francis Goldin died on May 16, 2020 due to natural causes. She was 95 years old.