In this week’s What Your Therapist Really Thks lumn, an 18-year-old wants to know what to do about his parents, who haven’t accepted that he is gay.
Contents:
- ‘MY PARENTS STILL WON’T ACCEPT THAT I’M GAY!’
- DEAR THERAPIST: MY PARENTS WON’T LET ME TELL MY BROTHER I’M GAY
- HOW N I PE WH MY FAY NOT ACCEPTG ME AS BEG GAY?
- MY MOTHER HAS NEVER ALT WH ME BEG GAY
- MANY PARENTS STGGLE TO ADJT AFTER LEARNG CHILD IS GAY, STUDY FDS
- BEG A GAY PARENT DON’T MEAN MY KIDS WILL BE GAY. BUT SO WHAT IF THEY ARE?
‘MY PARENTS STILL WON’T ACCEPT THAT I’M GAY!’
Livg wh homophobic parents n be a paful and difficult suatn. Whether you are gay yourself, have a close loved one or iend who is, or jt support the LGBT movement general, alg wh tolerance is tough. If your... * parents won't let me be gay *
Livg wh homophobic parents n be a paful and difficult suatn. Whether you are gay yourself, have a close loved one or iend who is, or jt support the LGBT movement general, alg wh tolerance is tough.
If your parents have said or done homophobic thgs the past, you might try to ga an unrstandg of their viewpots and work to change them. You may have heard your parents make homophobic ments before, but maybe you don't really unrstand why they feel the way they do.
Start a dialogue wh them about their feelgs about gay people and e active listeng skills to tly hear their si of thgs. Your parents may try to shg off when you ask "Why are you agast gay people?
DEAR THERAPIST: MY PARENTS WON’T LET ME TELL MY BROTHER I’M GAY
* parents won't let me be gay *
In some s, this might perta to their relig beliefs, but you might also unver a eper, or more personal reason that they are agast gay people. If your parents are relig, they may have learned that homosexual relatnships, beg transgenr, or beg nonbary are wrong.
They may stggle to accept that homosexualy is natural and part of who you are. They may even have a change of heart and stop beg so homophobic.
HOW N I PE WH MY FAY NOT ACCEPTG ME AS BEG GAY?
Even if your parents rema homophobic to some gree, they may soften up over time to mata a relatnship wh you. Also, if your parents are extremely homophobic, you may need to take preutns to protect your own emotnal well-beg and ensure you will still have a home and fancial support spe their beliefs.
Article SummaryXDealg wh homophobic parents n be a challenge but try to listen to their views whout argug so you n unrstand their posn.
MY MOTHER HAS NEVER ALT WH ME BEG GAY
If you’re gay yourself, make clear that you’re not askg for your parents’ permissn, sce you didn’t choose your sexualy. "I'm an openly gay teen who has stggled wh prsn and suicidal thoughts. My parents found out I was gay almost three years ago.
MANY PARENTS STGGLE TO ADJT AFTER LEARNG CHILD IS GAY, STUDY FDS
Your beg gay, Normal Son, chang your parents’ story, and this plot twist terrifi them precisely bee they want you to be happy. Perhaps they thk that beg gay means that you’ll face prejudice and hatred — and sadly, bee homophobic people are out there, they may be right.
BEG A GAY PARENT DON’T MEAN MY KIDS WILL BE GAY. BUT SO WHAT IF THEY ARE?
Maybe they thk that beg gay means you’ll get AIDS — and while sounds like you know all about safe sex, they’re right that you may be at higher risk than a straight man.
Maybe they also worry about thgs that have no bearg realy – that you’ll go to Hell or that somebody is “turng you” gay – but the end, they worry that your life will be harr as a gay man than as a straight one. No matter how many tim you expla that your happs li beg who you are – a gay man – worrisome scenars swirl their mds and they bee nsumed wh anxiety about your future. Given how misrmed they seem about what means to be gay, I’m gusg that their muny of iends will also have a reactn to their havg a gay son, and that they will be ma to feel ashamed some way.