Parentg a Gay Child

5 THGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT RAISG A GAY CHILD

What do I wish I had known about raisg a gay child? It’s a pretty short list and, had I known, I may have stunted my own growth. Bee raisg a gay child has not been much different than raisg a child who is not gay. After all, she’s a child. Well, not any more. But, Pearl once was, and I would like to thk our fay navigated her g out such a manner that she is now a flouris * how to raise a gay child *

'" says Sung Tse, parent to a transgenr young adult and print of the San Gabriel Valley chapter of PFLAG, the first and largt anizatn for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and fai, and alli. What do I wish I had known about raisg a gay child? Bee raisg a gay child has not been much different than raisg a child who is not gay.

We did right by her; thank you, lnchg a kickstarter fundraisg mpaign for "Lovg Pearl, " a book I wrote about raisg my gay child, some have told me how “lucky” my dghter is that we accepted her.

I’ve met several people who have thanked me for havg the urage to wre the book, cludg parents, a few teachers, a pastor and other gay youth who weren’t so “lucky. I was blsed to have gay siblgs growg up.

* how to raise a gay child *

Sometim ’s hard to tell who’s gay and who’s straight. 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. Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbian and Gays (PFLAG).

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR GAY CHILD

The days, gay parents are no novelty. * how to raise a gay child *

It’s no different for parents of LGBTQ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer) children. And fay rejectn has a ser impact on a gay or transgenr young person’s risk for health and mental health problems. "I enurage parents to not assume that [they] know what LGBTQ youth are experiencg, " Kirk Shepard, a licensed profsnal unselor Portland, Oregon, told NBC OUT regardg the 2016 attack where an assailant killed 49 people a gay nightclub Orlando, Florida, and jured many more.

I grew up outsi of New York Cy, the meltg pot, attend llege and worked New York, yet when I found out my son, Jam, age 13, was gay, I reverted to "not my backyard. Although he didn't particularly like ntact sports, he didn't exhib the gay stereotypil image: lisp, rabow lors. How would he know he's gay, if he never had sex wh a girl?

Acrdg to -thor of When Your Child Is Gay, Jonathan L. D., nial is the most mon ial reactn of parents to the joltg news that their child is gay. When I terviewed straight parents for When Your Child Is Gay, they ed words such as fear, shock, helplsns, strs, and extreme sadns to scribe their experienc wh nial.

GAY PARENTS RAISG KIDS: HOW WILL THEY FARE?

Parents of gay children may go through an adjtment perd when they fd out their child is gay, but there is support for parents of gay children. * how to raise a gay child *

Why do parents who are normally acceptg of their children go to the nial zone upon learng that their child is gay, bisexual, even transgenr?

Beg gay was not part of that plan and this fact was hard to rencile. Tobk, who is private practice Manhattan, do not expect their child to be gay. However, be sure you pick a gay-iendly one om an anizatn such as the Amerin Associatn of Psychiatrists that has a divisn of gay therapists om which to choose.

They will be empathetic and unrstandg and turn will ntribute to your unrstandg of what means to be the parent of a gay child. At PFLAG, you will fd parents who have siar feelgs, thoughts, and reactns to havg a gay child.

PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE

"Mom, Dad, I'm gay!" Your brave, wonrful, betiful child has spoken the words out loud that somewhere the back of your md you already spected. This moment of honty is the begng of a journey that n be challengg for both you and your child. * how to raise a gay child *

I uldn't be around people who judged me, thought beg gay was a "liftyle" that uld be changed or thought that homosexualy was wrong. This book tak a parent through a day the life of a gay child. As a parent wh no role mols for havg a gay child, I didn't expect to know how to parent a gay child.

You may say that parentg is parentg, but the straight parent of a gay child has to al wh addnal issu such as bullyg, possible low self-teem of their child, discrimatn, to name a few. The gay child has most likely gone through the same issu that you are now experiencg: nial, fear, guilt, shame, anger, loss, to arrive at acceptance. In future blogs, we will tackle those subjects, jt as When Your Child Is Gay (Sterlg, 2016) do.

For more rourc and support, vis TheTrevorProject, Suici Preventn Hotle, Born This Way Foundatn, The Gay, Lbian, Bisexual, and Transgenr Natnal Hotle, Fay Equaly Council, Trans Lifele, PLFAG,, PleaseStay,, and. In our town, we are the gay "go-to" people — pecially for parents and grandparents of gay kids. " Beg openly gay may be the most urageo choice your son, dghter, grandson or granddghter will ever make.

COMG OUT: A PARENTS GUI TO SUPPORTG YOUR GAY TEEN

"I don't know how to tell iends and fay about my gay kid or grandkid.

PROCR FOR GAY COUPL LOOKG TO ADOPT

Wh more people livg openly, seems that nearly everyone knows someone gay. Nearly everyone knows and lik/lov someone gay.

5 thgs I wish I had known about raisg a gay child

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5 THGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT RAISG A GAY CHILD