What to Do When Your Child Says: "I'm Gay" | Psychology Today

Contents:

• GAY SOLDIERS HARASSED: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• GAY SCENAR QUIZ
• SON BERAT GAY FATHER: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED
• MISS MANNERS: NOSY WOMEN AT RETIREMENT MUNY ASK RINT ‘ARE YOU GAY?’ DURG DNER
• WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"
• SON BERATED BY PARENTS FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• AM I GAY?
• HOW TO DEAL WHEN YOUR BT FRIEND IS GAY
• HOW TO ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE GAY

GAY SOLDIERS HARASSED: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Dpe observg the soldiers hug each other and stroke each other's legs, some ders later told they did not realize the soldiers were supposed to be a gay uple, even though they had no problem wh the mens' Soldiers HarassedMar Battenurt was one der who seemed to ignore the soldiers' affectn as well as our stigator who eventually nonted them. " ntt falist, and we cid to give his scenar a cid to st Matthew, who played the homophobic parent om the prev episo, to the role of the homosexual parent.

Tyler, the actor who played our homophobic teen, told , "Jt so you know, I'm not homophobic at all, I was raised by two moms. They all tell Tyler that he needs to accept his father for who he is and still love the end of the day we saw siar reactns to the on exprsed the prev scenar of the homophobic parent. "Alex AvilaAnd Gay Tim, a Brish LGBTQ news se, celebrated Friday, the day of the film’s official release, as “Barbie day“ and lled the world-renowned doll a “queer cultural phenomenon.

GAY SCENAR QUIZ

PicturIn an terview wh Fandango, actor Kate McKnon, who is openly gay and plays “Weird Barbie” the film, said Barbie is about “imagatn. Many also flagged the teased scene which Barbie, now the real world, exchang a longg look wh Ameri Ferrera’s Gloria character; though, the relatnship between the two turns out to be a tribute to motherhood and the tradnal, nuclear before the film’s release, Robbie all but squashed the mors that some or any of the Barbi and Kens would be gay, tellg the Brish LGBTQ magaze Attu: The dolls don’t “actually have sexual orientatns. There are brief appearanc by Earrg Magic Ken and Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken, both of which Mattel has always nied were tentnally gay-d.

”As far as the queer-d trailers and promotnal clips for the new “Barbie” film, Rand poted to a phenomenon known as “gay wdow advertisg, ” or the practice of advertisers gturg to queer dienc a way that will go over the heads of those who would disapprove.

In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that. “The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer. The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny.

SON BERAT GAY FATHER: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

“Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh. He thought of creatg Gay Water about a year ago while on a vatn wh his iend that had got a job wh the beverage dtry. The two chatted about the limed amount of gay people wh , and wh Hodson burnt out om his tradnal day job tech, started the nned cktail.

Hodson built up a strong social media followg on TikTok and Instagram durg Covid-19 and is g some of the money om that (as well as om iends and fay) to help fund Gay Water. “Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg.”. For now, Gay Water is sold largely onle (wh a few retailers) and four sugar-ee flavors — watermelon, lime, peach and grapeu — at lnch.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails,” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN. “There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns,” Roth said. Of urse, other drks e the word “gay,” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space.

(She/Her)TOSHIThe founr and CEO of Tokyo Rebels, the only gay-found molg agency the cy, workg to make the Japane fashn dtry more clive.

When I moved to LA, someone told me about Oil Can Harry’s, this gay bar that opened 1968 and did le dancg nights twice a week.

MISS MANNERS: NOSY WOMEN AT RETIREMENT MUNY ASK RINT ‘ARE YOU GAY?’ DURG DNER

He had been anonymo until Wednday's his openg statement, Ziegler emphasized that he is a gay man and a registered Democrat who has been acced of betrayg his party. When parents learn that their child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, they n experience a range of emotns. As a matter of fact, you might someday look back and fd that you are grateful for the experience of havg a gay or lbian child.

Well, my study of 65 fai of gay and lbian youth for the book, Comg Out, Comg Home: Helpg Fai Adjt to a Gay or Lbian Child, I found that some parents get to the pot where they believe that the experience of havg a gay child actually ma them a better person—more open-md and sensive to the needs of others, particularly those other mory groups. If you jt found out your child is gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr, you may be thkg that such ias are prepostero.

The tstworthy nfidants let them vent but also rrected some of the misperceptns they absorbed om society, such as that gay people are lonely, unhappy, promiscuo, not fay-oriented, unable to have children, or sted for an unhappy life. " the man told them, and wh that, he was out the door, done the urse of a summer afternoon, patrons were wary of nontg our homophobic dad. Gay - While this adjective has historilly scribed men who are attracted to other men, the term now is ed to refer to anyone who experienc romantic, emotnal, or physil attractn to people of the same genr.

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

Sce genr inty and sexual orientatn are separate, transgenr people n intify as straight, gay, lbian, bisexual, etc. Unrstand important health issu for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and get tips for matag good Mayo Clic Staff. However, there are some specific health ncerns that gay men and other men who have sex wh men need to be aware of.

Gay men also are more likely to have body image problems and eatg disorrs, such as anorexia and bulimia, than are other men. Many health re and mental health anizatns foced on the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny also offer substance e treatment or may be able to provi rmatn about lol rourc.

And rearch has shown that gay men and other men who have sex wh men experience timate partner vlence at a higher rate than do other men.

SON BERATED BY PARENTS FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A lack of shelters and other facili equipped to offer gay men a safe, supportive place to get help also may make dntg to seek re.

Concern about homophobia and the stigma sometim associated wh homosexualy may prevent some gay men om gettg route health re. " If you want to talk about your iend to a parent or guardian, try askg "Would you be okay wh me mentng that you're gay to my parents if me up, or would you prefer that I keep quiet?

Acceptance n make a huge different the liv of LGBTQIA (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) people. Article SummaryXIt might e as a b of a shock to fd out your bt iend is gay, but by supportg them and givg yourself time to get ed to , your iendship n be jt like was.

AM I GAY?

It probably took a lot of urage for your iend to e out as gay, so tell them that you accept them for who they are to be a good iend. Gay Christians are willg to intify heavily and participate a group that has historilly judged, margalized and persecuted them.

How is that the mds of so many Christians, God ma straight people straight but gay people choose to be gay?

As my iend Matthew V pots out his book God and the Gay Christian, mandg celibacy is at odds wh the biblil perspective that celibacy is a gift, not a mandate. For me, mandg that the only way you n be gay and be Christian is to be celibate is the equivalent of qutng God’s wisdom, and that seems like a ls-than-wise thg to do.

HOW TO DEAL WHEN YOUR BT FRIEND IS GAY

Most people the LGBTQ+ muny know om experience that acceptg your sexualy will lead to your beg a happier, more open this gui, the term gay has been ed to clu all forms of non-heterosexual attractn, whether that be people who are lbian, gay, bisexual, queer, pansexual, or otherwise not straight. There isn't any need to change yourself - beg gay is jt another way of simply existg, and there is nothg wrong wh at all. The fact that I am gay is jt another facet of who I am, jt as beg creative, or optimistic, or havg brown ey is.

Beg gay do not necsarily make you any ls mascule or feme, and there is no need or prsure to nform to stereotyp that don't feel right to you - bee you are who you are. There are many, many gay people all sorts of muni, and there are many people there for you when you need support.

The laws the Bible were maly for health purpos - shunng homosexualy is right next to not gettg tattoos, not eatg pork, and not wearg mixed lens, but you n bet your bottom dollar all your neighbors do those thgs.

HOW TO ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE GAY

Like everyone else, gay people have dreams and goals and want pannship and love jt like anyone else you know. It is important to note that the Amerin Psychologil Associatn has clared that groups claimg to cure homosexualy are dangero and unhealthy.