Forest Hills LGBTQ ally Anne Quashen has died

Anne Quashen (right) was a staple in the Queens LGBTQ community, dedicating herself to the organization Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, of PFLAG. Photo via Daniel Dromm

By Rachel Vick

Anne Quashen, president of the Queens chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, died April 10. She was 88.

Quashen led monthly PFLAG meetings in Forest Hills, welcoming all who needed support in the home borough of the organization’s founder.

She helped provide resources and emotional support to family allies at a time when it was common for people to be abused or kicked out of their homes after coming out.

“She also helped many young people with their coming out process,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm, whose late mother was a founding member of the chapter. “Anne was a model LGBTQ activist, and she was like family to me. She will be sorely missed."

Quashen became an advocate for the rights of LGBTQ New Yorkers after her son came out in the early 1990s. She dedicated the next 25 years to supporting the LGBTQ community and becoming a staple of the Queens support network.