Dear Pnce: My dghter may be gay, but I hope not.

supporting gay daughter

Advice for parents wh LGBTQ kids to help support and show them love. What to do when your kids e out to you as lbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer.

Contents:

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR GAY CHILD

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? * supporting gay daughter *

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.

COMG OUT: A PARENTS GUI TO SUPPORTG YOUR GAY TEEN

* supporting gay daughter *

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.

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

October 11, 2021 When a child or teen out as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer (LGBTQ), ’s normal for a parent or guardian to have potentially plex feelgs, om nfed to ncerned, awkward to honored. Dr. Angela Ka Goepferd offers tips on how to support kids the g out procs. * supporting gay daughter *

Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbian and Gays (PFLAG). Though public acceptance of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer people has grown over the years, many parents and fay members of LGBTQ+ kids still stggle to know what to say when a child out, or they aren't sure how to support the child as they age. 3 ln, high school stunts the Uned Stat report beg lbian, gay, or bisexual, and about 2% intify as transgenr, acrdg to Centers for Disease Control and Preventn (CDC) data om 2017 and 2019, rpectively.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"

"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. * supporting gay daughter *

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.

PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE

When a child first out as eher beg gay or havg same-sex attractn their parents' ial rpons are ually the wrong on, says Chris Doyle, a psychotherapist who specializ SSA. * supporting gay daughter *

"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.

When a child or teen out as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer (LGBTQ), ’s normal for a parent or guardian to have potentially plex feelgs, om nfed to ncerned, awkward to honored. In our town, we are the gay "go-to" people — pecially for parents and grandparents of gay kids.

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

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. * supporting gay daughter *

" Beg openly gay may be the most urageo choice your son, dghter, grandson or granddghter will ever make.

MARIE OSMOND TALKS GAY MARRIAGE, LBIAN DGHTER JSI IN NEW INTERVIEW

Many parents stggle for years to adjt after learng child is gay, acrdg to a new study om Gee Washgton Universy public health rearchers. * supporting gay daughter *

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

Wh more people livg openly, seems that nearly everyone knows someone gay. Nearly everyone knows and lik/lov someone gay. "Now that I know my kid is gay, I'm ncerned about same-sex sleepovers.

" If the ia of your dghter sleepg wh her boyiend unr your own roof at the age of 16 sets off every bad parentg bell the universe for you, hold your gay son or dghter to the same standards. We're sure he would e out if only he didn't thk his mom hadn't already submted her résumé for an open posn at PFLAG, which stands for Parents, Fay & Friends of Lbians and Gays. "I was jt settlg to the gay thg and now she tells me she lik a boy.

SO YOU SUPPORT YOUR GAY TEEN, GREAT: YOU STILL HAVE TO PARENT THEM

Marie Osmond Backs Gay Marriage: 'I Don't Thk God Ma One Color Flower, I Thk He Ma Many' * supporting gay daughter *

I recently checked wh a iend about her gay high school senr.

"I really want him to meet some other nice gay people. Not jt the Gay-Straight Alliance, although this is a great start. What about volunteerg for a gay teen hotle or homels shelter?

Y, gay people are more visible than ever before. But is equally te that homophobia ns rampant and ep this untry. Joan Garry is a natnally regnized gay rights lear and the former print of the Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn (GLAAD).

When gay teens e out to their parents, ’s an experience often rife wh emotn and ndor that n’t help but change the kid–parent experts say that procsg a child’s proclamatn of their sexualy is only the begng of the journey for moms and dads. And while there are an creasg number of fai who embrace their child’s homosexualy and are supportive, * supporting gay daughter *

Of the youth, an timated 5–10 percent—and likely more—are lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or qutng (LGBTQ) all young people, LGBTQ youth foster re need the support of a nurturg fay to help them negotiate adolcence and grow to healthy adults. Studi by the Fay Acceptance Project have found that most people report beg attracted to another person around age 10 and intifyg as lbian, gay, or bisexual (on average) at age 13.

Gay or transgenr people are not more likely than heterosexuals or genr-nformg people to molt or otherwise pose a threat to children.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* SUPPORTING GAY DAUGHTER

So you support your gay teen, great: You still have to parent them .

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