2012
Gina Crivello blogs about creating a GSA club for a high school in American Fork, UT.
Meg Hendrix blogs that she had always been a mother bear but when her 13-year-old son Jon came out she became a "mama dragon".
“I have always been a mother bear. Once I found out about Jon, that didn’t seem a fierce enough title. There is a whole new level of protection that has come over me. I now call myself a Mama Dragon."
2013
A private Facebook Messenger thread is started by Gina Crivello in search of support for one of her GSA students. Adopting the name from Meg's blog, the group calls themselves the Mama Dragons.
(Members of this group include mothers Sara Cook, Nancy Meyers, Leslie Cordon, Liz Deane, Wendy Montgomery, Jill Rowe, Meg Hendrix, Yvette Zobell, Diane Oviatt, Vicki Johnson, Christy Florence,
Christy Beach, and Neca Allgood.)
December
Mama Dragons begins
2014
JANUARY
The first Facebook group starts and is titled Mama Dragon Council (MDC-Secret).
MAY - JULY
Mama Dragons begins meeting in small groups locally and tabling at events including the Salt Lake City Pride Festival.
2015
MAY
Jill Rowe organizes the first Mama Dragons Retreat.
News article about Mama Dragons is published in the Salt Lake Tribune drastically increasing requests to join Mama Dragons.
Jen Blair creates an additional Facebook group named“Mama Dragon Council” (now called Mama Dragons Main Group) as knowing someone personally for admittance in the MDC secret group wasn’t maintainable. The two groups run side by side.
DECEMBER
Mama Dragons creates subgroup for Spanish speaking Mothers called Madres Dragones.
Mama Dragons' first Facebook Regional Groups are set up in
Utah & Washington areas.
OCTOBER
2016
JULY
Mama Dragons launches official logo and the first mission statement is developed and adopted, representing courage, protection, and love.
SEPTEMBER
36 Mama Dragons gather at the annual Mama Dragons retreat in Heber, UT.
OCTOBER
Mama Dragons is awarded Equality Utah, Ally of the Year.
NOVEMBER
MARCH
Neca Allgood is selected as the first Mama Dragons President and drafts the first organization bylaws.
Kimberly Anderson self publishes the Mama Dragon Story Project, a photo journal project that features twenty mothers who share essays of love and support to their LGBT+ children.
Julie Turnbull is elected to serve as President-Elect serving beside Neca Allgood as President of Mama Dragons.
MAMA DRAGONS HISTORY TIMELINE
Mama Dragons was created by Gina Crivello when she gathered a small group of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) mothers together as they navigated supporting their LGBTQ+ children in a culture that was not affirming. Since then Mama Dragons has grown to become a leader in affirming parent education and offers peer-to-peer community for parents worldwide.
2017
AUGUST
Mama Dragons participates on stage at first annual LOVELOUD concert in UT, a new foundation founded by Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons.
Mama Dragons shortens its mission statement to “We are a supportive group of mothers. We are shelter for one another’s children. We are champions of faith, family and LGBTQIA communities. We are sisters. We are Mama Dragons."
2018
Mama Dragons™ trademarks name and new logo.
MAY
FEBRUARY
Mama Dragons holds its first Leadership Summit in St George, UT.
JANUARY
Julie Turnbull serves as Mama Dragons President and Wendy VonSosen is elected as Mama Dragons President-Elect.
Mama Dragons Board of Directors clarifies Mama Dragons is not intended to be an LGBTQ+ support group or allies group, but instead it is a support group for mothers of LGBTQ+ children intended to help build affirming mother allies.
Mama Dragons QPR certified trainers begin offering Mama Dragons' members QPR suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings.
MARCH
After weeks of work stemming from the first leadership summit, Mama Dragons reveals new mission and vision statements.
We support, educate, and empower mothers of LGBTQ children.
MISSION:
VISION:
We envision a world in which all mothers fiercely love and advocate for their LGBTQ children.
JUNE
Mama Dragons becomes an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, governed by its new mission statement.
SEPTEMBER
Paper Hugs program originates after Mama Dragons member Lindsay Kinman's child received cards of encouragement. She collects names of Mamas' LGBTQ+ children who could use a little lift by receiving cards/notes in the mail.
2019
JANUARY
Wendy VonSosen serves as Mama Dragons President, Lisa Dame is elected as Mama Dragons President-Elect, and Julie Turnbull serves as Mama Dragons Treasurer.
JUNE
Mama Dragons is featured in an episode of CNN's United Shades of America show.
OCTOBER
Wrapped in Hugs Program is developed after a Mama Dragon sees a quilting article about Shannon Downey using her Instagram community to build quilts.
Mama Dragons presents QPR Suicide Prevention Training at United Nations Conference in New York City.
2020
Mama Dragons Board of Directors hires Celeste Carolin as Executive Director and ends president and president-elect positions.
SEPTEMBER
Mama Dragons trademarks Parachute program, Wrapped in Hugs, and Paper Hugs programs.
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2021
JULY
Mama Dragons launches Parachute eLearning platform, for Mama Dragons members.
AUGUST
Mama Dragons is accepted into Facebook Community Accelerator Program (31 US organizations are selected out of the 2,600 applicants).
2022
MARCH
Mama Dragons launches Embracelets to allow folks in and out of the organization to build friendship bracelets for Mama Dragons events to be given out to participants.
Mama Dragons launches & markets Parachute to the Public.
JULY
Mama Dragons launches In the Den with Mama Dragons Podcast.
2023
JANUARY
Mama Dragons launches LIFT Group Therapy for parents of LGBTQ kids in crisis.
NOVEMBER
2024
MAY
The Mama Dragons podcast, In the Den, published its 100th episode and continues to provide a new episode weekly.
OCTOBER
Mama Dragons receives a gold award from Anthem Awards in New York City in the category Human Rights - Community Space. This incredible recognition celebrates the transformative power of community and the work we do to create a safe, supportive space for mothers of LGBTQ+ children.
DECEMBER
The Mama Dragons board hires Liz Welch as the new Executive Director.
SEPTEMBER
Mama Dragons holds its first annual LUV conference in Salt Lake City, Utah welcoming speakers from local and national LGBTQ+ organizations to present to over 200 attendees.
NOVEMBER
Mama Dragons speaks at the Supreme Court rally in Washington, DC, fighting for trans rights in the case U.S. v. Skrmetti.
2025
JANUARY
Mama Dragons moved its membership from Facebook to a private platform to increase security and improve user experience.
MARCH
Mama Dragons launched a growing list of powerful partnerships with national and local organizations to strengthen our collective impact. These collaborations help us amplify awareness, provide critical resources, and advocate more effectively for LGBTQ+ rights—fostering a more inclusive, informed, and affirming world for all families.
OCTOBER
The Mama Dragons podcast, In the Den with Mama Dragons, won THREE Signal Awards, including two golds and a Listener’s Choice, for our podcast episodes that explore the power of love, courage, and advocacy in the lives of LGBTQ+ families. The Signal Awards celebrate the best in podcasting, honoring those who use their voices to create meaningful, culture-shifting conversations.
Mama Dragons launched a national outreach program aimed at connecting more parents who may need education and encouragement on their path to accepting and affirming their LGBTQ+ child.
APRIL
Mama Dragons participated in A Day of Unreasonable Conversation in Los Angeles, CA. Shauna Jones spoke on the “What If We Trusted Our Kids?” panel, exploring the beauty and humanity of raising transgender kids. She shared the stage with Stephen Chukumba of The Dads Foundation, Wayne Maines, and actress and transgender rights activist Nicole Maines, with a performance by Linda Perry.