Lus Greenfield, 17, tells Brian Ross about his experience so-lled gay nversn mp. The full story on ABC News' 20/20 and on Friday night.
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TO BE YOUNG & GAY
Here was my boy actg on his feelgs, givg a gift to another boy he thought was attractive. But as much as I thought was adorable, I also dread moments like the, bee as the father of a gay child, the only thg that really worri me is other people's potential reactns to him. * 9yo gay *
My son is gay, but he is also 9, so he is not the "ltful ckmonster" (thank you for that turn of phrase, Chris Kluwe) that so many homophob try to pat all gay people as.
And another word on your ternal monologue: My unfortablens has nothg to do wh him beg gay. But as much as I thought was adorable, I also dread moments like the, bee as the father of a gay child, the only thg that really worri me is other people's potential reactns to him: Will he say or do the wrong thg to the wrong person? He will be enterg the highly macho world of high school soon enough, and that is not always a safe place for gay kids to be.
But luckily, I didn't have to worry what this high-school boy might thk, sce I know that my -laws and niec have a "no homophob allowed" policy when to their iends. For my son, unlike how 's been for so many who have e before him, beg gay is not somethg to al wh but somethg that is, like his beg tall or havg giant feet. He don't thk of his "gay issu"; he jt knows what he lik, and now he is actg on .
A GAY OLD BOY
In the 1990s, more and more gay teenagers are g out of the closet. A natnwi report on their stggle for acceptance. * 9yo gay *
Too many gay kids n't act on their feelgs until they move away om home and to real life, or at least to llege. Help them unrstand their bodi and the fundamentals of God’s sign for sex wh marriage, and then slowly move toward discsg topics such as same-sex attractn, gay marriage, or transgenr inty.
Sir adds that we have also “equently failed to distguish gay orientatn om gay sexual activy—even though if any of were judged by the persistent clatns of our hearts, on sexual matters or otherwise, none of uld stand. She says the Holy Spir gradually led her away om her gay liftyle followg her nversn. She eventually met her hband and joed a church group of new Christians prised mostly of people who’d formerly intified as gay or transgenr.
For Jenny (not her real name), a iend of me Nashville, this meant iatg a nversatn wh her six- and eight-year-old children about their gay uncle they were preparg to vis Chigo. “I thought, How n I expla to them what means to be homosexual when they don’t even unrstand sex heterosexual terms? Reflectg on that nversatn, Jenny explas, “I’ve always wanted them to hear words such as gay or sex e om me first stead of a movie, a magaze, or a iend.
* 9yo gay *
When faced wh more specifics (How do gay sex work? How do gay upl have children? “It’s been extremely important for our kids to see and unrstand that we do not perceive ourselv as better than anyone who intifi as lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr.
For many fai wh high school or llege-age stunts, the realy is that their children are often leaps and bounds ahead of their parents actually fosterg relatnships wh gay or transgenr peers. Ask the kids to brg their gay iends to dner. Impulse Group Los Angel is the foundg chapter of the ternatnal group dited to promotg healthier sexual liftyl among gay men.