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

Contents:

• GAY PARENTS RAISG KIDS: HOW WILL THEY FARE?
• AN ENTIRE RTRANT CAME TO THE RCUE OF A GAY COUPLE ATTACKED FOR ‘DEPRIVG’ THEIR CHILD OF A MOTHER
• WAER HARASSG GAY PARENTS: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU SAW A WARS REFG TO SERVE GAY PARENTS?
• WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS: "I'M GAY"

GAY PARENTS RAISG KIDS: HOW WILL THEY FARE?

But if "tak a village" to help raise a child, often tak an assorted st of Village People to help LGBTQ+ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer) dividuals and upl start the fai they dream of — that group might clu a dre of medil and legal profsnals, ernment and social workers, as well as many other facilators, Good Samarans and supporters, to name jt a who intify as LGBTQ+ don’t always thk beg a mom, dad or other non-bary parental signatn is necsarily the rds for them.

6 percent of Amerin adults (approximately 18 ln) intify as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr, more than a 1 percent crease of LGBT-intifyg adults sce Gallup’s prev update 2017. Are raised by gay or lbian parents.

Universy of Michigan Health, Michigan Medice, Medil and Other Transn Optns for Transgenr People, September Instute, Adoptn and Foster Care by Lbian and Gay Parents the Uned Stat, March 2007. Department of Health & Human Servic, Child Welfare Informatn Gateway, Adoptn by Fay Type: Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Qutng (LGBTQ) Fai, 2021. The days, gay parents are no novelty: We see them strollg through our neighborhoods, participatg our PTA meetgs, and, perhaps most notably, appearg on our TV screens: Mchell and Cam, fathers to Lily, on the ratgs smash Morn Fay; Glee’s Sue Sylvter, expectant mom to a baby nceived wh an as-yet-unrevealed sperm donor, and Rachel’s dads, played wh humor and grace by Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stok.

AN ENTIRE RTRANT CAME TO THE RCUE OF A GAY COUPLE ATTACKED FOR ‘DEPRIVG’ THEIR CHILD OF A MOTHER

The Hollywood exampl are important that they’ve helped prent gay parentg as not unlike straight parentg: challengg, joyful, plited, and most of all, entirely normal. Though this media mastreamifitn of gay parentg is a relatively new phenomenon, for s, gay parents have had children all sorts of fay nfiguratns—whether through adoptn, prev heterosexual relatnships, or, creasgly, by choosg to have blogil offsprg g vro, surrogate, and other methods.

WAER HARASSG GAY PARENTS: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Last November Illois, Catholic Chari ceased s adoptn servic after the state refed fundg unls the groups agreed not to discrimate agast gays and lbians. Although gay and lbian parents are a powerful rource for kids need of adoptn—at least half of all children foster re the U.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU SAW A WARS REFG TO SERVE GAY PARENTS?

Are livg wh adoptive gay parents—Catholic Chari simply qu the bs rather than ply. Earlier this month, when Print Obama announced his support for same sex marriage days after North Carola voted to ban , he changed the nversatn nsirably by argug that ncern for children is a reason to support, rather than oppose, gay marriage. He ced gay upl his own life, “same-sex upl who are as mted, as monogamo, as rponsible, as lovg a group of parents as any heterosexual uple that I know, ” he said.

” His support for gay marriage was self a landmark turn, but jt as notable was s direct affirmatn of gay upl as parents, which served to rebut the standard argument agast gay marriage—namely, that risks the well-beg of children and the fay. They want to know: How will the children of gay parents fare? Can kids raised homosexual hom turn out (gasp) okay?

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

Throughout many years of workg wh fai, I’ve studied the liv of gay parents raisg sons and dghters.

In general, gay parents tend to be more motivated, more mted, and more thoughtful parents than heterosexual upl.