Straight Parent, Gay Kid

Your Child Just Told You He’s Gay. Now What?

It’s holiday time and your child takes the initiative to come out to whomever is present at your family’s gathering. His rationale may be to “ get it over with” and tell family members all at once. It may not be the appropriate time with so many distractions for such unexpected news. Will your family…

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World Aids Day 2018: What Does It Mean?

Saturday, December 1st is the thirtieth anniversary of World Aids Day.  While scientific advances in HIV/AIDS research have resulted in anti-retroviral drugs like Prep and more awareness about safe sex contribute to a health problem that is not thought of as the alarming death sentence of the 80’s, AIDS is still a world-wide problem. It’s…

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You Can’t Pray The Gay Away!

If you’re a religious parent who believes that being LGBT is a choice, think again!  As of August 2018, fourteen U.S. states, District of Columbia, some counties and municipalities in the U.S. have passed laws banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association opposed conversion or…

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LGBT Couples Are Told They Can’t Adopt

It’s been three years since The Supreme Court first recognized gay marriage.  You would think with legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S., LGBT couples would automatically be able to adopt.  Not so! It is estimated that 8-10 million children are being raised in gay and lesbian households.  As of 2016, LGBTQ adoption was made legal…

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The Ever-Increasing Alphabet of LGBT+. What Does It All Mean?

Chances are if your child comes out to you, he would most likely use the term gay, bisexual, lesbian, queer or trans.  But as a parent, how do you keep up with all the other terms and know their definitions, particularly if you don’t have a knowledge of Latin?  What is the + in LGBT+?…

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Another Attempt At Erasing The Transgendered

First, it was the states’ trying to ban the federal protections that Obama put in place under Title IX barring discrimination and sexual orientation.  In 2016, the Department of Education required schools to allow transgender students to use the restroom or locker room of their choice.  If a school didn’t comply, it could risk losing…

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Not Coming Out on LGBTQ Awareness Day

October 11 is the 30th annual LGBTQ Awareness Day. The purpose of the day is to make LGBTQ orientation more familiar to the public, reduce bullying, and help foster allies in the fight for equality. Although it would be ideal if everyone felt he could come out, the LGBT child has his own timeline.  Tempting…

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How To Make Your Child Comfortable So He Will Come Out To You

It always helps if you have discussed what the gender spectrum means beforehand in your home. It will not only show that you are a hip parent who is cognizant of what is going in the non cis-gender culture, but that you can be trusted to be open-minded. When having these discussions, don’t assume that…

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Don’t Forget the Feelings of Your LGBT’s Siblings!

Your LGBT child many not be the only one in the family who is getting bullied at school.  If your LGBT son or daughter is out at school and bullied as a result, chances are their sibling is being harassed as well. As a parent, you want to find out what the sibling endures at…

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When The School Isn’t An Ally

How To Enforce Anti-Bullying Policies At Your Child’s School Last week, I wrote about how parents can anticipate bullying of their LGBT child at school and practice tactics at home.  However, as most kids are bullied at school when parents aren’t there to observe the violations or around-the-clock when their LGBT children are cyberbullied, it’s…

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