“Mom, Dad… I’m Gay.” A Christian Parent’s Rponse

Contents:

• HOW CHRISTIAN PARENTS SHOULD RPOND TO THEIR CHILD'S GAY INTY CRISIS
• MY CATHOLIC KID IS GAY! NOW WHAT??
• “MOM, DAD… I’M GAY.” A CHRISTIAN PARENT’S RPONSE
• IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRAY THE GAY AWAY?
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• EVANGELIL CHRISTIAN PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN STRIVE FOR ACCEPTANCE SI CHURCH
• PRAYERS FOR GAY PEOPLE

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

Your child is gay. But for many Christian parents, nothg n prepare them to hear that their beloved child is gay.

MY CATHOLIC KID IS GAY! NOW WHAT??

If you are a Christian parent, fay member or iend to whom your loved one has e out as gay or lbian, then this is for you.

They did not “choose gayns” to rebel agast you, get back at you or make your life miserable. As a younger Christian, tght that homosexualy is a s, I believed that trma somewhere someone’s past ed homosexualy, even if they didn’t remember .

“MOM, DAD… I’M GAY.” A CHRISTIAN PARENT’S RPONSE

To my surprise, God pletely shifted my unrstandg and revealed to me the many people who had a great childhood are still gay. Some gay teens have been shamed, banished, threatened, beaten, and shunned.

If dog the thgs meant that homosexualy would not vis a Christian home, then we wouldn’t see croppg up so often.

But please unrstand that even if we disagree, nothg chang regardg our rponsibily, our blsg as a Mom or a Dad to unndnally love, accept and affirm our gay children – as God has done wh . 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.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRAY THE GAY AWAY?

"Sce homosexualy is beg more wily accepted Amerin society, an creasg number of teens who experience SSA are intifyg as gay.

They believe that if you experience same-sex attractns, then you're gay, " Doyle told the negative rpons parents have, acrdg to Doyle, are avoidg the issue by barrg their child om talkg about SSA or their gay inty; believg that 's a passg phase; or threateng to kick their olr teen or 20-somethg child out of the hoe. He also emphasized that parents nnot talk their child out of beg gay or havg SSA. "We know, our clil rearch over the last 25 years, that fay culture, environment and other non-blogil factors play a signifint role the velopment of same-sex attractn, " he asserted, addg that parents shouldn't seek therapy as an attempt to change their the book, Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Fay Healg, wrten by Richard Cohen, executive director of IHF, Doyle said 12 prcipl are discsed to help fai navigate through SSA and s .

"Regardg sleepovers and big life events such as parents' attendg a child's same-sex weddg ceremony, Doyle suggted that parents treat their homosexual child the same as they would their heterosexual the se of sleepovers, parents should mata the same standards for every child and not allow their gay intified or SSA child to have somone they're attracted to spend the night wh them. "The same l should apply to heterosexual upl and homosexual upl, " he when down to attendg a child's gay weddg ceremony, Doyle suggted that attendg the ceremony don't necsarily reflect that the parents agree wh same-sex marriage, their prence merely shows their love for their child. I'd like to share what I thk is an thentilly lovg rponse to what strik fear to the hearts of most fahful Catholic parents: your son or dghter g out as a gay man or lbian.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

From that perspective, I'd like to share what I thk is an thentilly lovg rponse to what strik fear to the hearts of most fahful Catholic parents: your son or dghter g out as a gay man or lbian. That I will love him even if he emerg as an on-fire, flamg homosexual drag queen, even if I'm prayg for that NOT to happen!

This msage — that he is more than "gay" — is somethg he won't be hearg the gay subculture. There is no greater weapon the battle for chasty — for gay or straight people — than the Eucharist and Confsn.

But what if my son cid to live openly as a gay man and had a partner? How should we treat our children's gay and lbian partners? I'm very disturbed that parents wouldn't dream of shunng one part of a straight uple that's livg s thk shunng their child's gay partner is acceptable.

EVANGELIL CHRISTIAN PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN STRIVE FOR ACCEPTANCE SI CHURCH

If my son asked me to participate events that would legimize his relatnship wh his partner, such as a gay weddg ceremony or gay pri para, the answer would be a gentle but firm, "NO.

It seems tolerance of gays and lbians isn't good enough anymoreyou mt celebrate homosexualy or risk beg vilified. If he is receptive to a relatnship based on mutual rpect, however, he ought to know me well enough not to be surprised when I cle to attend the gay pri para. Homosexualy is a plex pathology and not somethg nscly chosen by the person.

PRAYERS FOR GAY PEOPLE

Programs that propose to "pray away the gay" do great harm to souls when the person exs wh his SSA tact, and not as the morally upright straight person he's told God wants him to be. "My Catholic Kid is Gay! Rachel Held Evans nclus her blog post If my son or dghter were gay wh this paragraph:.

If God bls Dan and me wh a child who is gay, I would want that child to know whout a doubt that he or she is loved unndnally.

I believe Rachel’s motivatn is to create a more welg and lovg environment the church for those who intify themselv as homosexuals, or who stggle wh homosexual sire. I admire and agree wh her motive, and mt say that I’ve learned om her this area of beg much more reful how I speak and wre about homosexualy. First, she don’t munite any ncern about the sfulns of homosexual sir nor the immoraly of homosexual actns.