Which different feelgs and reactns do different fay members show if an adult fay member who has long been perceived as heterosexual disclos their sexual inty as lbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB)? Prev studi have vtigated reactns of spo and sometim children the Uned Stat. This article scrib the fdgs of qualative terviews and a German-language quantative survey (N = 188) which fay members were asked about their emotns, experienc durg the g out procs, and their e of support optns. The sampl were reced via different LGB+ onle foms and anizatns Germany, Atria, and Swzerland (age M = 44.08). The rults monstrate that a g out after years of a heterosexual bgraphy and fay life affects adults’ parents and siblgs addn to spo and children. Siblgs were perceived as a supportive group of fay members showg lm and mostly posive reactns. Parents maly reported surprise but also showed on the one hand tert supportg their children the g out procs; on the other hand, we fd also evince for negative reactns cludg rejectg behavr. Children’s pg and well-beg pend on the time that had passed sce the g out and their age at the time of the g out. Spo felt shocked, angry, and the ground was pulled om unr their feet. Comparg the perspectiv of the groups of fay members, differenc between them, ...
Contents:
- JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
- I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY
- NAVIGATG ONE SON'S G OUT N BE A BIG AL. FOR PARENTS WH SEVERAL GAY CHILDREN, N BE OVERWHELMG
JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay. * children coming out as gay *
Many of the straight parents I terviewed for When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know exprsed havg felt disappotment learng that their child was LGBT.
Richard told me, "Perhaps if every parent toyed wh the possibily that any of their children uld be gay, would change the way they raise their children. Gay children are no different—so ltle of their sexual orientatn has to do wh who they are as a whole. "It is rare to work wh parents of a gay child who have not stggled wh the feelg of loss at some pot the procs of acceptg their child as gay, " my -thor, Jonathan Tobk, M.
I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY
Parents feel sad that their gay child has lost the possibily of havg a life whout signifint difficulty. " Yet Tobk has found that "gay people tell you they are happy wh who they are and feel that they have emerged on the other si of g out as strong, sensive, and rilient dividuals.
I kept wag for the moment where I would realize I was no longer gay so I uld put a halt to everythg. I was nsumed by the p my stomach – the shame of endg my marriage bee I was gay was like luggg a sandbag over my shoulrs and havg a rock my stomach at the same time.
I wasn’t sure how to tell my nservative, Geia-born and bred parents that their former pageant queen dghter was endg her marriage bee she is gay. I wasn’t brave enough to actually say the words – the label of beg gay or a lbian was too much for my soul to bear at the time – so I sent her a text msage, “I am not straight. Democratic printial ndidate Pete Buttigieg – who, like me, is his late 30s and, like me, me out publicly jt a few years ago – put this way: “It’s hard to face the tth that there were tim my life when, if you had shown me exactly what was si me that ma me gay, I would have cut out wh a knife.
NAVIGATG ONE SON'S G OUT N BE A BIG AL. FOR PARENTS WH SEVERAL GAY CHILDREN, N BE OVERWHELMG
Reev also -found a California chapter of PFLAG (formerly known as, “Parents, Fai, and Friends of Lbians and Gays”), an anizatn wh 200, 000 members natnwi.
” The ial rponse offered by Jumel Howard, 25, who me out as gay at 13, go a step further: “No matter what, you are still my child and I am always gog to love you. Consir gettg volved and makg a donatn to GLSEN (an tnal anizatn workg to end discrimatn and promote cln for LBTQ+ stunts K-12), GLAAD (an LGBTQ+ media advocy formerly known as the “Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn”) or the Human Rights Campaign (the largt LGBTQ+ advocy and polil lobbyg anizatn the untry).
parents of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and qutng (LGBTQ) teens to remember each child is unique and will have their own experienc and feelgs along the way. "I thk I might be gay (or lbian, bi, or trans), but I'm not sure, and I don't know how I feel about that... "Beyond jt feelg "different, " young people beg to wonr if they might be "gay" (or lbian, bi or trans) or some other label they may prefer.