ABOUT US
WE ARE devoted to educating people of all ages about the full range of diversity
Family Diversity Projects (FDP) is a national nonprofit devoted to eliminating prejudice, stereotyping, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national origin, religion, and disability through storytelling and photography. Founded in 1995 by Peggy Gillespie and Gigi Kaeser, our mission is simple: challenge ignorance and hatred with education and love.
We believe that real stories told with honesty, dignity, and love are among the most powerful ways to confront prejudice. Our eight award-winning traveling photo-text exhibits highlight the lived experiences of marginalized communities – tools that encourage empathy, spark dialogue, and share authentic narratives.
The exhibits consist of high-quality framed portraits with personal narratives. They arrive ready to display in your community – schools (preK-12), colleges, houses of worship, libraries, workplaces, museums, conferences, and more – and several are accompanied by published books and free curriculum.
At a time when censorship and attacks on marginalized communities are escalating, fostering understanding is vital.
You too can have an impact. Please contact us to host an exhibit, donate what you can, and spread the word.
Peggy Gillespie
Co-Founder/Director and Editor-in-Chief of FDP exhibits and books. As a journalist for over 35 years, she has written feature articles for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and many others. She is co-author of Less Stress (Signet) and the autobiography of choreographer/dancer Bill T. Jones: Last Night on Earth (Pantheon). A Smith College graduate and certified social worker, Peggy was the first Assistant Director of Jon Kabat Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at UMass Medical Center.
Gigi Kaeser
Co-Founder/Director of Family Diversity Projects and the photographer for all of their projects. She has had photographs published in Teaching Tolerance Magazine, the NAMI Advocate, Rethinking Schools, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, among others. Gigi is also an early childhood educator.
Our Supporters
Thank you to our present and past donors, including:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation • The AEC Trust • The Arcus Foundation • A.L. Mailman Foundation • Target • Massachusetts Cultural Council • The Gill Foundation • The Icarus Foundation • The Tsunami Foundation • The Astraea National Lesbian Action Foundation • The Funding Exchange • The Chicago Resource Center • The Frances R. Dewing Foundation • The MENTOR Network Charitable Foundation • The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) • The Patrick-Murray Inaugural Committee • And, many generous individual donations from friends, family, and community supporters.
Foundation Support
Our special thanks to The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
for their very generous annual grants supporting our work with religious organizations to promote LGBTQIA+ justice and education over many years.
Our exhibits have appeared in Thousands of venues
A partial list:
Schools: National Cathedral School • Bank Street • Greenwich Academy • Holton-Arms • Green Acres School • Monson High School, MA • King Low Heywood Thomas School • Marin County Country Day • Multicultural Public Magnet School, CT • Amherst, MA public schools K-12 • P.S. 87 in New York City • Shady Hill • Wellesley Middle School • Nightingale-Bamford • Phillips Exeter Academy • Little Red Schoolhouse • Bank Street • Waynflete • Shipley • Brooklyn Friends School • Lagunitis, CA school district • Ethical Culture • St. Luke’s • Stoneridge Children’s Montessori School • Farragut Public Middle School • Fieldston (upper and lower) • Chapin • Bullis • Brearley • Boston Latin • Choate Rosemary Hall • Collegiate • Concord Academy • Dalton • Deerfield Academy • East Granby CT. High School • Emma Willard • Fenn • Hotchkiss • Horace Mann • Latin School of Chicago • Lehigh Valley Charter High School for Arts • Lincoln/Sudbury High School • Little Rock Central High School • Madeira • McQuaid Catholic High School • Pingry • University of Chicago Lab School • Hosack Elementary School, PA
Colleges: Auburn University • Brown University • Duke • Purdue • Seattle Community College • Smith • University of California (many campuses) • University of Illinois (many campuses) • University of Wisconsin (many campuses) • Emory University • Mt Holyoke • Princeton • Mt Holyoke • Vassar • Wesleyan • University of Denver • Greenfield Community College • Penn State (many campuses) • University of North Carolina (many campuses) • Yale • Wheaton • Central Connecticut State University • American University • Arizona State University • Amherst • Hampshire • Bard • Berea • Bennington • Boston College • Bowdoin • Boston University • Brandeis • Bowling Green • Brooklyn College • Bryn Mawr • Bucknell • CalTech • Carleton • Carnegie Mellon • Case Western Reserve • Central Connecticut State • Colgate • City College of New York • Colorado State • Columbia • Dartmouth • Eastern Michigan University • Georgia Tech • Guilford • Haverford • Hofstra • SUNY Oneonta • Swarthmore • Texas A & M
Houses of Worship and Seminaries: Hundreds of houses of worship and seminaries of all denominations • Pacific School of Religion • Union Theological Seminary, NY • National and Regional Conventions: Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist, United Methodist, More Light Presbyterians, Believe Out Loud • St. Luke’s in the Fields (Episcopal) • Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, MD • City of Refuge (United Church of Christ) • Glide Memorial Church (United Methodist)
Corporations/Workplaces: Mayo Clinic • Amgen Corporation • Apple • Bank of America • Chubb Insurance • DaimlerChrysler • Ford Motor Company • Google • Kraft Foods • IBM • Lockheed-Martin • Lucent Technologies • Microsoft Corporation • Time Magazine • Pepsico
Museums: Montclair Art Museum • Tucson Children’s Museum • San Bernadino County Museum • Florida Holocaust Museum • Holyoke Children’s Museum • Sloan Museum of History
Mental Health Programs: Rockland Psychiatric Center • Devereux • Fountain House • Louisiana State House Mental Health • Association of South Carolina • NAMI Conference • Newton-Wellesley Hospital
See what people are saying about Family Diversity Projects!
General Advisory Board (A Partial List)
Those listed have served or are serving in an advisory capacity on one or more FDP projects.
Dr. Michael Adee, Founder and Former Ex. Director, More Light Presbyterians, Director, Global LGBT Faith Project of the Horizons Foundation
Macky Alston, Film Director of Love Free or Die,about Bishop Eugene Robinson
Virginia Casper, Former Director, Infant and Family Development Programs, Bank Street College of Education
Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng, Episcopal Divinity School, author Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology
Kate Clinton, Comedian
Margery Dimond, educator and activist for LGBTQ+ rights
Bishop Yvette Flunder, City of Refuge Church, Fellowship of Affirming Ministries
Dr. Frederick Frese, Board member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
Rabbi Steve Greenberg, Director of Diversity Project at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
Rev. Darlene Garner, co-founder of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays
Rodney Glasgow, Educator, Head of Sandy Springs Friends School, President of The Glasgow Group, and co-chair of the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Dr. Sharon Groves, Former Religion and Faith Director, Human Rights Campaign
Rev. Candy Holmes, Former Public Policy Minister for Marriage Equality for the Metropolitan Community Churches
Kay Redfield Jamison Ph.D, Professor, Professor and Co-Director, Mood Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins University. Author, An Unquiet Mind
Kevin Jennings, Founder and Former Executive Director, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educators Network (GLSEN), Executive Director of Lambda Legal
Bill T. Jones, Choreographer/Director, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Rev. Harry Knox, President and CEO, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Joy Ladin, Professor, Yeshiva University, Author: Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders
The Rev. Canon Mally Lloyd, CEO, MA Episcopal Diocese
April Martin, New York, NY, Author, Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook
Rev. Irene Monroe, Theologian, scholar, author
Jay Neugeboren, Author, Imagining Robert and Transforming Madness
Lesléa Newman, Northampton, MA, Author: Heather Has Two Mommies
Sonia Nieto, Ph.D, Amherst, MA, Author: Affirming Diversity
The Very Rev. Katherine H. Ragsdale, President and Dean, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA
Rev. Jane Spahr, Presbyterian minister and activist
Lesley Stahl, New York, NY, News Correspondent, 60 Minutes
Lynn Sullivan, Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the Yale Divinity School, Yale University
Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Faith Work Director, Institute for Welcoming Resources, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Rev. Dr. Christine Wiley and Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiley, Co-Pastors, Covenant Baptist UCC Church, Washington, D.C.