Parents of LGBT Children
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According to an article by Planned Parenthood, "Many parents find it difficult to accept the sexual orientation or gender identity of their children". Parenting LGBT children is a learning process. Parents won't always have the right words or have too many questions. It's a must to feel confident talking to our children about sexuality at various points even with those who are still questioning their sexuality. The first step is to let them know it's perfectly okay to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or straight.
Being their mentor and their listener is just a few of many roles. Understanding children "Come out" because they want to be accepted. If you criticize them during this important time in their life, they will accept others to criticize them and even mistreat them.For children who are part of the LGBT community, the world can be a confusing place. People can judge hardly, excluded them from activities and be bullied in school. It's up to the parent to create a safe environment where they can talk about problems of great concerned.
Statistics show 64% felt unsafe at school due to sexual orientation and 32% did not go to school for at least one day because of feeling unsafe. These statistics are concerning, as parent you can help your kid by practicing the following:
- Ask how we might help them.
- Never “out” them without their permission. Let kids decide when, where, and to whom they want to come out.
- We can ask them if they want us to help them come out by telling other family or friends, but we should never do it without their permission.
- Offer advice and help them think through their coming out decisions so that they can avoid taking unnecessary risks.
- Learn about the world they live in and support our kids’ involvement with the LGBT community online and in real life.
By attending our monthly Family LGBTQ meeting we create an open space for parents and children to ask questions and talk about their experiences. Our goals is to create healthy relationships between parents and children and for them to educate others.
Please contact Ingrid Siss at by email at ingridsiss@gmail.com or (310) 993-0404.