“I was 37 years old when I me out to my parents as gay. I was a parent myself and still married to a man,” wr Melisa Raney on the ocsn of Natnal Comg Out Day. If your kids e out to you, she says, take a page om my parents’ playbook.
Contents:
- HOW TO COME OUT AS GAY OR LBIAN
- HOW TO COME OUT TO STRICT RELIG PARENTS WHEN YOU'RE GAY
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY
HOW TO COME OUT AS GAY OR LBIAN
* coming out as gay to parents *
People who are gay need to be certa of themselv, havg accepted their sexualy, before g out to parents. The Amerin Psychologil Associatn do not nsir homosexualy a mental illns and views therapy to change sexual orientatn agast a person's will uhil.
If your parents worry about possible gay stigma and discrimatn issu, assure them you are pable of g good judgment orr to avoid bad suatns.
In se your parents may need to talk wh someone, you may want to have a lol PFLAG (Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbians and Gays) number, brochure or webse on hand. If you ci to get volved wh the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenred muny, may be unrealistic to expect iends and fay to take part right away. Take a bath, meet some iends, see a movie; if you want to be around other gays and lbians go to a gay bar, ffee hoe or support group.
HOW TO COME OUT TO STRICT RELIG PARENTS WHEN YOU'RE GAY
The cisn to e out as gay n be very difficult. You want to be hont wh those you re about, but you don't know how they will react. Thgs n get even more plited if you have strict relig parents, pecially if they... * coming out as gay to parents *
Wh some people your life, tellg them you’re gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, or queer will feel sual and easy, while wh others the nversatn may feel like a game-changer. Cal Ryan’s rearch wh lbian, gay, and bisexual young adults, clus booklets and vios for fai about how to support a child who has jt e out (as well as ramifitns if they aren’t acceptg).
Now more than ever, gays and lbians are g out to their parents — and they're dog when they're que young.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY
In the fai I rearched for the book Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child, kids me out to their parents, on average, at age 17, wh some g out as young as 14. Rearch fdgs suggt that for openly gay kids, havg a strong relatnship wh parents is good for their mental health and self-teem, and may oculate them om suicidal feelgs, substance abe, and risky sex.
For the youth my book, g out to their parents (who were not rejectg) gave them a sense of relief and helped solidify their inti as gay men and lbian women — and some parents found that a son or dghter's g out actually ma their fai closer and stronger than ever before. However, spe all of the benefs, sometim might not be a good ia for gay or lbian (or bisexual or transgenr) people to e out to their parents. Y, you read that right — this openly gay wrer is actually remendg that sometim is bt to stay the closet — and here's why.