Gay family support

Supporting your lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) teenager is about creating a safe and loving space for them to explore who they are. It is important for parents to remember each child is unique and will have their own experiences and feelings along the way. Being there for them is essential in giving them the power and support to be who they are.

Key Points:

  • It’s important to create an environment where your child feels as though they can safely tell you anything
  • If you have a LGBTQ ally of family member they can be a great source of information, especially on how they felt coming out to their family
  • Doing your part to verb your child and creating a non-judgemental space where your noun feels safe and free to express themselves and explore their identity can make all the difference

You think your child might be LGBTQ?

The truth is you cannot know for certain. If you believe that your infant is dropping hints or ‘showing signs’, try not to assume, if they want to narrate you they will in their own time. Faci

Support for Parents of Child Who Says He&#;s Gay

Before saying anything else, we want you to know that our hearts move out to you. Our prayers are with you, and we are privileged to have this opportunity to come alongside you in the midst of your pain and confusion.

The conflicting emotions you&#;re experiencing – crying one moment, angry the next – is a common and understandable reaction. Any loving parent in your position would feel the same way. It&#;s also very likely that you&#;re struggling with grief – the natural reaction that occurs when we&#;ve encountered loss. Though you may not yet recognize it, you&#;ve lost something significant. It may be the image of and beliefs you had about your son, your perceptions of yourself as a parent, or perhaps your desires and hopes for grandchildren. Whatever the case, it&#;s crucial to identify and acknowledge the reality of these losses. You may find a helpful way to do this is though journaling or with the assistance of a wise pastor, counselor, your spouse, or a trusted friend.

Wise guidance and caring help is especially inva

I always considered myself a liberal. I grew up outside of New York City, the melting pot, attended college and worked in New York, yet when I found out my son, James, age 13, was gay, I reverted to "not in my backyard." Suddenly, I went into denial mode; how could he be? He had a girlfriend whom he said he was going to marry. Although he didn't particularly like contact sports, he didn't exhibit the gay stereotypical image: lisp, rainbow colors. How would he recognize he's gay, if he never had sex with a girl?

So What's This Uneasy Feeling I Have?

Back then, , I didn't realize I was in denial. According to co-author of When Your Child Is Gay, Jonathan L. Tobkes, M.D., denial is the most common initial reaction of parents to the jolting news that their child is gay. When I interviewed straight parents for When Your Youth Is Gay, they used words such as fear, shock, helplessness, stress, and extreme sadness to describe their experiences with denial. Some even recounted feeling numb for awhile.

Why do parents who are normally accepting of their children go into the denial zone u

Ashley on starting a family as a gay man

Ashley Scott, 40, is the co-founder of Rainbow Families — a charity that supports, celebrates, empowers and advocates for LGBTQ+ parents and their kids — and a dad of two girls born via surrogate.

I came out when I was 18 and I recollect chatting with a friend around that time who said, &#;What about children? Don&#;t you long to have children?&#; I hadn&#;t thought about not being proficient to have children because I was gay until I was asked that question. I responded, &#;Well, I guess I won&#;t have kids.&#; She said to me, &#;No, I&#;m sure you can. Don&#;t write it off.” It wasn’t until five or six years later I started thinking that having a family of my own is something that was important to me. I spoke to my partner about it, and we decided we wanted to be parents. We started exploring the options for gay men to become parents.

For any queer person, the available options for becoming a parent really depend on your circumstances. At the time, it was illegal for same-sex couples to foster or adopt in New South Wales, so that was ruled