For most kids, the social prsur of middle school are tough enough. But an creasg number of young teenagers, some as young 10 or 11, are g out as gay or lbian middle school. Beno Denizet-Lewis, who wrote about the trend the New York Tim Magaze, discs what social factors uld be leadg young people to e out earlier.
Contents:
- SO YOU SUPPORT YOUR GAY TEEN, GREAT: YOU STILL HAVE TO PARENT THEM
- A 16-YEAR-OLD WENT TO A GAY BAR WH A FAKE I.D. AND THGS COULD’VE END TERRIBLY IF NOT FOR THIS DRAG QUEEN
- MY TEEN SON SAYS HE'S GAY
- MY SON THKS HE’S GAY
- MY LOVELY 16 YEAR OLD SON JT TOLD ME HE'S GAY
- WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"
- GAY KIDS COMG OUT YOUNGER, BUT PARENTS ASK "HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
- IS YOUR CHILD GAY?
- GAY YOUTH COMG OUT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
SO YOU SUPPORT YOUR GAY TEEN, GREAT: YOU STILL HAVE TO PARENT THEM
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, * gay 16 year old *
Havg feelgs about or havg a sexual experience wh a person of the same sex do not necsarily mean you are homosexual. The phrase “ the closet” may be ed to refer to someone who is gay, lbian, or bisexual, but hasn’t told iends and fay members yet.
A 16-YEAR-OLD WENT TO A GAY BAR WH A FAKE I.D. AND THGS COULD’VE END TERRIBLY IF NOT FOR THIS DRAG QUEEN
I thk my son may be angry, not gay. * gay 16 year old *
If you're terted learng how the gay rights stggle started — and where we are now — this is the perfect place to start.
MY TEEN SON SAYS HE'S GAY
"My 16-year-old son has been chattg onle to a teenager the UK. Now he thks that he is gay like the teen. Should I let him ntue this terchange or cut off?" * gay 16 year old *
Will Grayson 1 (wrten by John Green) has a "very big and very gay" bt iend, Ty Cooper, and while he's been there for Ty through every heartbreak he's endured, he's on the fence about their iendship. The Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky AlbertalliNow 20% Off16-year-old Simon's g out story is not too far om what a lot of LGBTQ teens experience.
MY SON THKS HE’S GAY
Gay kids are g out earlier — sometim middle school — and many are fdg acceptance. But some parents and teachers wonr if the kids are too young to really know their sexual orientatn. * gay 16 year old *
And, while Leah's mom knows she's bisexual, she's havg trouble tellg her iends — cludg Simon, who is openly gay after the events of Simon vs. 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, lovg, and even unfazed by the revelatn, ’s a turn of the ti that leav some ncerned about whether or not there is an unrstandg of the nuanc of parentg a gay teen. “The problem for most gay kids is that they n lose their parents whether their parents are hateful or supportive, ” says Dan Savage, thor, sex lumnist and creator of the “It Gets Better Project, ” which helps gay teens rever om bullyg. ”Savage, who has a son wh his gay partner, says that he equently hears stori about parents who are aaid to tell their gay son that they don’t approve of his boyiend for fear of soundg tolerant or who help their gay teen sneak to gay bars by securg them a fake ID — a double standard that he fds tratg.
MY LOVELY 16 YEAR OLD SON JT TOLD ME HE'S GAY
Stephen Rsell, an adolcent psychologist at the Universy of Arizona, says that he and his partner, Stt Neeley, have faced many challeng while parentg their gay son, Enrique, 18. Rsell also suggts that parents of gay teenagers be aware of whether or not the person their child is datg has already e out himself, and of how their parents reacted to the news. Savage says that parents of gay teens — pecially boys — should also be aware of the dangers that exist today’s datg world, potg out that bee their gay son is datg men, he fac risks like timate partner vlence and sexual asslt.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"
If you have a gay son, you should be protective of him jt as you would be of a straight dghter who was sexually active and datg, ” says Savage. Rsell also strs the importance of beg faiar wh gay sex and timacy before engagg your teen discsns about sexualy, and says to be prepared for qutns about what nstut sex and where lims lie.
GAY KIDS COMG OUT YOUNGER, BUT PARENTS ASK "HOW DO YOU KNOW?"
“It’s the same when you’ve got a ltle gay kid — you realize there are a range of thgs out there that they will experience that don’t even relate to the thgs they hear about sex om their straight iends. ”Acrdg to Rsell, one of the most important thgs for parents of all teens — gay or straight — to remember is the importance of emphasizg to your child that they serve to be treated wh rpect and that they should be rpectful of others.
Leather ntt a dog llar when I’m 16 years old, ’ your rponse should be, ‘This has nothg to do wh your beg gay, and everythg to do wh the fact that I’m your parent and I don’t approve of the choice you’re makg, ’” says Savage. Many years after occurred, an anonymo tumblr er has e forward wh a story about the horrific time a man slipped somethg to their drk a gay tablishment and dragged them outsi and to his r. As I relayed When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know (Sterlg, 2016), I found out that my son was gay om a note wh our son's name entwed wh another boy's, surround by a heart.
IS YOUR CHILD GAY?
Acrdg to my -thor, psychiatrist Jonathan Tobk, "Gay children feel credibly vulnerable when g out to their parents, and tak time to work up the urage to do this. In a way, you have an advantage by not knowg; giv you more time to prepare for the day (if ever) when he do reveal he's gay.
“If you’re gay, or Jewish, or black, that gets kd of picked up on and joked about – not a way that’s malic, or that they mean to be malic, but fely a way that feels like there’s no lim. Keep md that gay teens are at risk for all kds of psychologil distrs and you want to do whatever you n to provi a safe haven and a buffer for your son.
GAY YOUTH COMG OUT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Beg gay is only one aspect of his inty and he is the same person today that he was before he told you that he is gay. Rather than emphasizg whether or not to try to cut off his terchange — there is, after all, nothg wrong wh beg gay — a more important, longer-term qutn would be, “How n I help him improve his social skills? Lnched , datg dg and speratn is one of the newer datg apps to e allows guys to chat wh other men whout all of the stigma attached to gay datg apps.
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