What to Do When Your Child Says: "I'm Gay" | Psychology Today

Contents:

• WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"
• HOW CHRISTIAN PARENTS SHOULD RPOND TO THEIR CHILD'S GAY INTY CRISIS
• WHEN YOUR CHILD IS GAY
• MANY PARENTS STGGLE TO ADJT AFTER LEARNG CHILD IS GAY, STUDY FDS
• UNRSTANDG GAY & LBIAN INTI
• WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR DGHTER TELLS YOU SHE’S GAY

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"

Sexual orientatn refers to the endurg physil, romantic and/or emotnal attractn to members of the same and/or other genrs, cludg lbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientatns. As GLAAD not, "Transgenr people may be straight, lbian, gay, bisexual or queer.

A person who transns om female to male and is attracted solely to men would typilly intify as a gay man. But providg support isn't always easy — pecially if you are the parent of a lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or qutng (LGBTQ) child. Advote for a gay-straight alliance (GSA), which has been shown to make schools safer and boost amic performance among LGBTQ stunts.

Team up wh a pediatrician, a unselor at school, close fay members and even muny anizatns — for example, Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbians and Gays (PFLAG) — if you’re havg trouble gog alone.

HOW CHRISTIAN PARENTS SHOULD RPOND TO THEIR CHILD'S GAY INTY CRISIS

When parents learn that their child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, they n experience a range of emotns. As a matter of fact, you might someday look back and fd that you are grateful for the experience of havg a gay or lbian child.

Well, my study of 65 fai of gay and lbian youth for the book, Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child, I found that some parents get to the pot where they believe that the experience of havg a gay child actually ma them a better person—more open-md and sensive to the needs of others, particularly those other mory groups. If you jt found out your child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, you may be thkg that such ias are prepostero.

WHEN YOUR CHILD IS GAY

The tstworthy nfidants let them vent but also rrected some of the misperceptns they absorbed om society, such as that gay people are lonely, unhappy, promiscuo, not fay-oriented, unable to have children, or sted for an unhappy life. Contact Parents, Fay, and Friends of Lbians and Gays (PFLAG). List of Helpful Books for Parents of Gay and Lbian Children.

Straight Parents Gay Children: Keepg Fai Together (revised edn). Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lbians, and Gays Talk About Their Experienc.

MANY PARENTS STGGLE TO ADJT AFTER LEARNG CHILD IS GAY, STUDY FDS

Somethg to Tell You: The Road Fai Travel when a Child is Gay. Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child.

Fortunate Fai: Catholic fai wh lbian dghters and gay sons. The same n be said for the majory of those who have a homosexual orientatn—they are both homosexual (sexually attracted to dividuals of the same genr) and homo-romantic (romantilly attracted to dividuals of the same genr).

UNRSTANDG GAY & LBIAN INTI

For example, a person may be hetero-romantic but homosexual, meang that they velop romantic feelgs (“fall love”) to those of the oppose genr but only have sexual attractn for dividuals of the same genr. LGBTQIA+ is an acronym that broadly refers to the gay and trans muny at large.

The letters LGBTQIA+ stand for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer (or qutng), tersex, and asexual (or an ally), and more. Gay: generally, a person who is attracted to someone of the same genr.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR DGHTER TELLS YOU SHE’S GAY

The “gay muny” n be ed to refer to the LGBTQIA+ muny at large as well. If this transwoman fds herself attracted to women, she may nsir herself to be homosexual or lbian—bee she intifi as a woman and is attracted to the same genr. While the majory of drag performers are gay, there are heterosexual drag queens.

When a child first out to their parents as eher beg gay or havg same-sex attractn, their ial rpons are ually the wrong on, says Chris Doyle, a psychotherapist who specializ York Cy gay pri para crowd this undated photo.