How Do I Support My Gay Dghter? - The Atlantic</tle><meta name="scriptn" ntent="She jt told me she’s gay. I’ve already talked to her about sex wh boys—how do I talk to her about girls?"/><meta property="kx:tle" ntent="How Do I Support My Gay Dghter? - The Atlantic"/><meta property="kx:scriptn" ntent="She jt told me she’s gay. I’ve already talked to her about sex wh boys—how do I talk to her about girls?"/><lk rel="nonil" href="><lk rel="image_src" href="><meta property="article:thor" ntent="><meta name="thor" ntent="Lori Gottlieb"/><lk rel="ia:markup_url" href="><meta property="article:publisher" ntent="><meta property="article:opn" ntent="false"/><meta property="article:ntent_tier" ntent="metered"/><meta property="article:tag" ntent="fay"/><meta property="article:sectn" ntent="Fay"/><meta property="article:published_time" ntent="2019-05-13T12:10:46Z"/><meta property="article:modified_time" ntent="2022-04-06T21:40:26Z"/><meta name="robots" ntent="x, follow, max-image-preview:large"/><meta property="og:tle" ntent="Dear Therapist: Do I Need to Have ‘the Talk’ Aga Wh My Dghter?"/><meta property="og:scriptn" ntent="She jt told me she’s gay. I’ve already talked to her about sex wh boys—how do I talk to her about girls?"/><meta property="og:url" ntent="><meta property="og:type" ntent="article"/><meta property="og:image" ntent="><meta property="twter:rd" ntent="summary_large_image"/><lk rel="alternate" type="applitn/rss+xml" tle="The Atlantic" href="/feed/all/"/><lk rel="alternate" type="applitn/rss+xml" tle="Bt of The Atlantic" href="/feed/bt-of/"/><meta name="referrer" ntent="unsafe-url"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-pable" ntent="y"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-stat-bar-style" ntent="black"/><meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-tle" ntent="The Atlantic"/><meta name="keywords" ntent="lbian sex, sexual orientatn, 12-year-old dghter, sexual activy, open dialogue, clear lims, ongog dialogue, fay hoehold, healthy relatnships, bt way, medil advice, sexual sir, right track, Dear Therapist, heterosexual terurse, sgle awkward nversatn, thought procs, productive people, paradigm shift.Anonymo IndianapolisDear Anonymo, double standard, future ’ve, dghter’s sex life, given hoehold, clear munitn, gree of activy, personal , different philosophi, sex, fort levels, way of those , peer prsure, sexual , age, LGBTQ anizatns, profsnal medil advice, dghter’s teen , kids, mental-health, boy sleep, dghter, heterosexual , emotnal reads, level of emotnal matury, l, nonromantic iendships, nversatns, normal part, tst, kd of permissn, medil ndn" emID="#keywords"/><meta name="news_keywords" ntent="lbian sex, sexual orientatn, 12-year-old dghter, sexual activy, open dialogue, clear lims, ongog dialogue, fay hoehold, healthy relatnships, bt way, medil advice, sexual sir, right track, Dear Therapist, heterosexual terurse, sgle awkward nversatn, thought procs, productive people, paradigm shift.Anonymo IndianapolisDear Anonymo, double standard, future ’ve, dghter’s sex life, given hoehold, clear munitn, gree of activy, personal , different philosophi, sex, fort levels, way of those , peer prsure, sexual , age, LGBTQ anizatns, profsnal medil advice, dghter’s teen , kids, mental-health, boy sleep, dghter, heterosexual , emotnal reads, level of emotnal matury, l, nonromantic iendships, nversatns, normal part, tst, kd of permissn, medil ndn"/><meta name="" ntent="ar-therapist,fay,artherapist"/><meta name="" ntent="Lori Gottlieb"/><meta name="" ntent="2019-05-13T12:10:46Z"/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><lk rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href=" crossorig=""/><script type="applitn/ld+json">{"@ntext":","@type":"NewsArticle","headle":"How Do I Support My Gay Dghter?","alternativeHeadle":"Dear Therapist: Do I Need to Have ‘the Talk’ Aga Wh My Dghter?","scriptn":"She jt told me she’s gay. I’ve already talked to her about sex wh boys—how do I talk to her about girls?","url":","datePublished":"2019-05-13T12:10:46Z","dateModified":"2022-04-06T21:40:26Z","isAccsibleForFree":false,"hasPart":{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccsibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".article-ntent-body"},"publisher":{"@id":"},"maEntyOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"},"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":720},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":405},"url":"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":1080},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":1080},"url":"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":1200},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":900},"url":"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":1600},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":900},"url":"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":960},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":540},"url":"},{"@type":"ImageObject","width":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":540},"height":{"@type":"QuantativeValue","unCo":"E37","value":540},"url":"}],"thor":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lori Gottlieb","sameAs":"}],"articleSectn":"Fay"}</script><lk rel="preload" as="image" href=" imageSrcSet=" 750w, 828w, 960w, 976w, 1952w" imageSiz="(m-width: 976px) 976px, 100vw"/><meta name="next-head-unt" ntent="62"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-g=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href=" data-n-p=""/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href="><lk rel="preload" href=" as="style"/><lk rel="stylheet" href="><noscript data-n-css=""></noscript><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/><lk rel="preload" href=" as="script"/></head><body><div id="__next"><div data-tegory="story page"><div></div><nav class="Nav_root___6bX9" aria-labelledby="se-navigatn" data-tegory="Se Nav" data-event-module="se nav" id="ma-navigatn"><div class="Nav_maNav__yofcm"><a href="#ma-ntent" class="Nav_skipLk__Evjjd">Skip to ntent</a><h2 id="se-navigatn" class="Nav_visuallyHi__AbSDF">Se Navigatn</h2><div class="Nav_flexContaer__Q3LKQ"><ul class="Nav_leftContaer__cPQgJ"><li class="Nav_navListItem__cEyWT Nav_visuallyHiOnMobile__hxCGG"><a href=" class="Nav_navLk__5SUAA"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 87.83 134" class="Nav_bigA__XvGGC"><tle>The Atlantic

i don't want a gay daughter

Chris Jewell’s parents disowned him after fdg out he was gay, but he is not alone his story of parental rejectn

Contents:

'RETURN THE KEY': THE PARENTS WHO REJECT THEIR GAY CHILDREN

She jt told me she’s gay. I’ve already talked to her about sex wh boys—how do I talk to her about girls? * i don't want a gay daughter *

She jt told me she’s gay. Sign up to get "Dear Therapist" your Therapist, As a parent, I firmly believe that is my duty to prepare my kids to be posive, healthy, and productive people both the world and personal when my 12-year-old dghter announced that she is gay, my md started spng. That’s how I feel’The armageddon refers to his mum’s strong Jehovah’s Wns beliefs about the sfulns of homosexualy.

I N'T FIVE MY DGHTER FOR BEG GAY

* i don't want a gay daughter *

’”Chris, sadly, isn’t alone his story of parental fa of equalyAt the time I terviewed him, a Brazilian mother who killed her teenage son for beg gay is sentenced to 25 years prison. Celebry stori of heartbreakg parental rejectn are also November, the Amerin thor and producer Robyn Crawford released a book nfirmg she had had a romantic relatnship wh Whney Hoton – but had to abandon out of fear of the repercsns om Hoton’s by Oprah Wey if would have bothered her if her dghter was gay, Cissy Hoton said “Absolutely.

“She even worked Brisbane’s gay bar, ” Chris says. She also shuts down whenever I brg up boyiends or boys general (and she’s never dated a boy, as far as I know), and seems bothered by anti-gay ments and sermons she hears. I’m worried that she might be gay and don’t feel fortable tellg bee of some ments her father has ma the past.

We’re already at odds over the electn, but I still love her even if she is gay. —Dghter Might Be Gay. You mt realize you nnot make your dghter one wh ls gay by wishg she were straight.

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

'When I look back at the photos of Sarah as a ltle girl, I n't help but feel sad.' One mother and her gay dghter talk wh utter ankns about the schism her sexualy has ed wh their fay * i don't want a gay daughter *

Nor n you make her ls gay by keepg quiet when her father or pastor says somethg homophobic or by repeatedly askg if she has a boyiend. Your dghter may be gay or bisexual, but she may also be straight and merely disturbed by the anti-gay sentiment your church po. Do not let the only thg you ever say to your dghter about homophobia be nothg.

Tell her that you regret never speakg up the past when you’ve heard anti-gay slurs, that you were wrong to let homophobia go unremarked-upon, and that your love for her is not ndnally based upon her prumed heterosexualy.

Support your dghter by overtly tellg her that you support her, not that you would still love her “even if she is gay. ” When you tell someone, “I still love you even if you are gay, ” what you are really sayg is this: “Obvly beg gay is worse than beg straight. There are many rourc available to you as you figure out how to parent a way gog forward that repudiat pulsory heterosexualy and anti-LGBTQ sentiments: nsir the work of Mel Whe, Soulforce, PFLAG, and the Gay Christian Network, among others.

PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE

Many parents stggle for years to adjt after learng child is gay, acrdg to a new study om Gee Washgton Universy public health rearchers. * i don't want a gay daughter *

” He seemed oddly imprsed when he saw that I was the only whe person my group of llege iends, and he speaks of his one black, gay, Jewish iend like he’s some rare llectible. “Kchen Stk: The rtrant staff thk I n’t unrstand when they ll me anti-gay slurs Spanish. Now, she has e out as gay and I look at her - wh her short hair and mascule cloth, - and wonr where did we as parents go wrong?

If I'm hont, I probably felt a twge of relief that she was settlg down bee I had harboured fleetg ncerns that she might be gay. I'd known gay people the past at work and had never been prejudiced towards them - had never bothered me.

It wasn't that I had anythg agast homosexuals: was simply that wasn't what I wished for my own child. I thk every parent wants their child to have a smooth passage through life, and I felt that beg gay would always be a problem. It seems trendy the days for parents to claim they 'accept' their children's sexualy if they are gay.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* I DON'T WANT A GAY DAUGHTER

Many parents stggle to adjt after learng child is gay, study fds .

TOP