Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Denial: What not to do when your child comes out
Coming out is fraught both for parents and their LGBTQ+ children. Your child has likely carefully planned what they’ll say, perhaps they’ve even rehearsed it in front of the mirror or with a friend. They’ve probably been thinking about their sexuality for months or years. They’re coming to the conversation prepared. You, however, might be…
Keep Politics Out of Disney!
You go to Disney because it’s magic and fantasy! Built out of swamp land, children and relatives come in droves (58 million tourists this year) to see animals and humans unite. It’s akin to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s masterpiece by Edward Hicks “The Peaceable Kingdom.” The children don’t care if Mickey and Minnie are…
Defeated by Jeopardy’s Final Question, but Not in Long Run!
Final question: “The only nation in the world, whose name in English ends with an ‘h’ and is also one of the 10 most populous.” Brainiac Amy Schneider was defeated by this question after winning 40 straight games and winning $1,382,800. (Yes, you read that right!) Her lead was upset by a Chicago librarian Rhone…
The Unintelligible “Parental Rights in Education” Bill
Does anyone understand this bill dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” Bill #1557 in Florida? According to Education Week, it does NOT mention the term “gay” or “LGBTQ+ community by name. Nor does it prohibit students at any grade level from talking about their LGBTQ+ family members or themselves or acknowledging the existence of gay people.” But…
Growing Up Gay May Give You An Academic Advantage
A new study, Intersecting the Academic Gender Gap: The Education of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual America, published in The American Sociology Review in 2022, purports that growing up gay gives that population an academic advantage. This survey was written by Joel Mittleman, a University of Notre Dame sociologist, and concluded that based on his three…
Just When You Thought You Knew It All….
O.K. you’ve mastered the basics: you know what non-binary means. It means a person who doesn’t identify with being defined as male or female. You know that sex is assigned at birth, but it also can refer to the sex act, short for sexual intercourse. That said, what is gender? It’s social, a personal expression. …
It’s National Nutrition Month. How’s Your Teen’s Eating & Exercise Regimen?
Did you know that: Researchers have found more than 1/2 of young LGBTQ people between 13 and 24 have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Gay males were 7 x more likely to report binging and 12 x more likely to report purging than heterosexual males. Females who identified as lesbian, bisexual or mostly heterosexual…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Expected to Sign "Don't Say Gay Bill" passed by The House.
The “Don’t Say Gay Bill” has passed in the House. What does this mean for Parents and LGBTQ+ Students?
The nuclear family has changed in America. LGBTQ+ parents can create their family through surrogacy or adoption. Often, you see brown or persons of color in the same family as Caucasians. Or mixed race children. Sometimes, grandparents or relatives, because their children have mental health conditions, have custody of their grandchildren and are the primary…
What’s In Store for LGBTQ+I Students in Florida Classrooms?
This has been quite a week for education bills proposed re: future of LGBTQ+I students in the classroom. Fueled by Governor DeSantis, the Republican-led majority advanced a bill on February 7 that will have to continue in two more committees before it reaches the Senate floor and the Governor’s pen. If passed in the Senate,…
O Ye of Faith, Why is His Holiness Giving Mixed Messages
This week, His Holiness Pope Francis, 85, urged parents in his weekly General Audience to not “hide behind an attitude of condemnation” but to “accompany” LGBT children. Those children, The Pontiff believes, are children of God, loved by God and therefore deserving of accompaniment by the church. While the 266th Pontiff, aged 85, thanked nuns…