Straight Parent, Gay Kid

Honor Thy Grandparents

Last week, last Sunday to be exact was an important day.  It wasn’t ushered in with greeting cards last August like Halloween or heralded on television, but nevertheless it was mentioned quietly on Twitter and then left the building.What exactly was Sunday, September 13, 2015?  It was Grandparents Day, usually the first Sunday after Labor…

Keep Reading

Have Teen Idols Taken The New Fluidity Too Far?

Last week, The New York Times contributor Charles Blow wrote about “Sexual Attraction and Fluidity” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/opinion/charles-m-blow-sexual-attraction-and-fluidity.html in which he called Miley Cyrus’s comments about her OMNISEXUALITY (Cyrus dubs it pansexuality) “charming” and “revolutionary.” This Is A Role Model? While Blow, a well-known commentator, points out that Cyrus’s attitude towards sex is representative of recent surveys…

Keep Reading

National Suicide Prevention Week Starts Tomorrow

World Suicide Prevention Day is September10th. Being LGBT itself is not a risk factor for suicide, but the negative treatment that many LGBT teens endure can lead to suicidal feelings. LGBT teens whose parents accept them are healthier and will stay that way into adulthood. The first major study of families of LGBT youth, The…

Keep Reading

When The School Is Lax About Bullying

o.k.  School has started.  School bullies do not need orientation.  They are hard at work harassing their victim, your gay children, 24 /7.  Your school downplays your child’s horrific experience. You are lucky that your child has come to you with her concerns.  Many are afraid to tell grown-ups as they may be considered tattling…

Keep Reading

The 4R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, “Rithmetic, and Regulation

School is starting soon.  You’ve probably starting putting the kids to bed earlier so they will be in sync with school hours, maybe having them read an hour a day to get them used to books and not other kinds of texts? Unfortunately, phone texting is all too familiar with students and is here to…

Keep Reading

How Much Gay Wedding Cake Would A Straight Baker Chuck If A Court Says He Could?

 How Much Gay Wedding Cake Would A  Straight Baker Chuck If A Court Says He Could? The answer to this riddle is none.  As of  August 13th, baker Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado has to bake cakes for same-sex couples whether he approves or disapproves of their marriages.  So sayeth a state…

Keep Reading

Five More Things Not to Say To Your Gay Child

Exactly a month ago, I wrote a post about five things you should not say to a gay child. See http://www.straightparentgaykid.blogspot.com/2015/07/10/-five-things-not-to-say-to-your-gay-child/Since then, I have either heard or read about common remarks (malapropos) that may not be intended as insensitive, but come across that way. • “That’s So Gay!”  School kids, in particular, hear this all…

Keep Reading

Boy Scouts End Ban on Gay Leaders, but Leave Wiggle Room for Religious Beliefs

On July 27, 2015, The Boy Scouts of America ended its nationwide ban on openly gay adult leaders.  Seventy-nine percent of those who participated in a telephone meeting of the national executive board voted in favor of lifting the ban. The Scouts’ volunteer national president and former Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates urged this…

Keep Reading

Fear For Many Parents Will Be Eased

As the straight parent of a gay child, you fear for your child.  Will he/she be beaten up, picked on in school, fired from a job, have to live in certain areas that are designated as gay-friendly just because of his/her sexual orientation? In most of the U.S, states, it is legal to fire and…

Keep Reading

What Your Gay/Lesbian Child Wants To Hear From You

When Your Child Is Gay For parents, having your child reveal that he/she is gay can be a jolt.  While some may have an easier time accepting the revelation that their child is gay, all parents can take certain steps to ensure they handle the news that convey they love their child, unconditionally. Offer Acceptance…

Keep Reading