YOUTH LGBTQIA+ Resources FOR PARENTS

Parenting isn't always easy — especially if your child is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ). In many ways no different from their peers, LGBTQ youth face some unique challenges that parents often feel unprepared to tackle. 

"Coming out" is a lifelong journey of understanding, acknowledging, and sharing one's gender identity and/or sexual orientation with others. For some, this process may be quick and easy, while for others, it might be longer and more challenging. It's essential to seek coming out support and utilize available LGBTQ+ resources for guidance. Additionally, parent support LGBTQ efforts can play a crucial role in fostering a positive experience during this significant journey.

Being LGBTQ+ doesn’t cause mental health problems. But because LGBTQ+ kids often face factors like rejection, bullying, discrimination, and violence, they are at a higher risk of challenges including depression, anxiety, and attempting suicide. However, there are ways that parents and others can support them.

The Family Acceptance Project® is a vital research, intervention, education, and policy initiative aimed at preventing health and mental health risks, while also promoting well-being for LGBTQ+ children and youth. This includes crucial issues such as suicide, homelessness, drug use, and HIV. The project also serves as a significant source of coming out support and offers valuable resources for parent support LGBTQ, ensuring that families can better understand and support their loved ones.

To be askable means that young people see you as approachable and open to questions. Being askable about sexuality is something that most parents and caregivers want, especially when it comes to providing coming out support and accessing LGBTQ+ resources, but many find it very difficult. Adults may have received little or no information about sex when they were children, which can hinder effective parent support for LGBTQ+ topics.

When a loved one comes out, reactions vary widely, from “Now that I know, what can I do to support my child?” to “How will I ever handle this?” For many parents, it’s a mix of these feelings and more. It's clear that responses to this moment can be complex and deeply personal. Accessing coming out support and seeking out parent support LGBTQ resources can be instrumental in navigating these emotions and learning how to best support their loved ones.

Part of the adjustment meant reaching out to other parents with gay kids, who were a little step ahead of me in their journey. I visited a coming out support group and connected with parent support LGBTQ resources, speaking with people who understood what it was like to have a gay child.