Your teen has been in school for almost a month now. As a parent, you worry about him being treated as an outsider. Is he being bullied? Does he only hang out with only girls? Are his only friends, like him, forced into a segregated minority of gays and lesbians?
What is a parent to do? How do you make sure that your gay or lesbian child mainstreams socially with the straight kids in their middle or high schools? If he/she joins a Gay-Straight Alliance, will she make lasting friends with the straights? How can you ensure that your child at lunch will sit with the straight kids and not be relegated to a table deemed “losers”? You can’t hover like a helicopter parent over their daily lives.
What has worked for you? If you have a suggestion or comment how gay and lesbian teens can successfully navigate the heterosexual groups in their schools, please post here.
When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know
For more detailed advice, see book, co-authored with a mother of a gay son and a psychiatrist, Jonathan L. Tobkes, M.D.
