Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Fashion Then And Now…
Despite the fact that I grew up in a house with Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily, I looked like a “Glamour Don’t.” “You always have the wrong shoes,” said my oldest sister. But because of my mother, who was creative with a needle and thread, but was otherwise staid, I followed fashion, and still do.So,…
Tips For Making Your LGBT Child’s Life Easier
Family Acceptance Is Key According to multiple studies, family acceptance can make all the difference to GLBT children. If rejected by families during adolescence, these youth were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, and 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs…
How Do You Know If Your Child Is Gay?
I’m often asked “how do you know if your child is gay?” After all, there is no litmus test for sexuality. Adolescence is a time of exploration and trying on different identities, much like adapting clothes to a new persona. So, what’s the answer? If one believes Freud is right and we’re all born bisexual…
Don’t Be Tempted By Gay-to-Straight Therapy!
It’s Not A Fix! A few weeks ago, Leelah Alcorn, 17 years old, a transgender renamed “Joshua,” from Kings Mills, Ohio, committed suicide. Unfortunately, forty percent of transgenders attempt suicide. They are perhaps the least understood and most maligned in our society. Wrote Leelah in her suicide note, “it doesn’t get better, each day it…
The Gay Marriage Cases That Quote Loving V. Virginia, 48 Years Later
In 1967, a year before the peaceful Nobel prize-winning Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, the Supreme Court invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. A mixed-race couple named Mildred Jeter, 17, black, married Richard Loving, 23, white. Due to Virginia’s miscegenation laws forbiding interracial marriage, the Lovings were sentenced to a year in jail. On the…
“Come On Down, The Weather Is Great,” but…
….You don’t worry about shoveling snow or falling on ice in Florida. In many ways, life seems easier. Barefoot, you can walk out in the a.m. to the end of your driveway to pick up the newspapers. Restaurants seem cheaper than Northeast and run “early bird specials.” (No one ever accused me of eating late!)….
Woo-hoo! Florida Becomes 36th State with Marriage Equality!
Gay Marriage Starts in Florida Jan. 9th, but sooner in Miami-Dade. I was beginning to think marriage equality would never come to Florida, my home and third largest state! With a Governor, Rick Scott, who has switched parties and claimed only a 1% victory, his contender, Charlie Crist, who was reputed to pay hush money…
You Are What You Shop
As a straight ally, I try to avoid businesses that smack of homophobia. For example, when I go to the mall in my county in which I live, I will not eat at Chic-Fil-A, headquartered in Ga. Its president Dan Cathy came out against gay marriage in 2012. Believe it or not, his condemnation actually…
It Could Happen To You When You Least Expect It!
Last week, I wrote about what not to say when your child comes out. Due to the many distractions of the holidays, I also suggested that this is the worst time for anyone to come out as he/she will not be heard. However, as some LGBT kids only see their families on major holidays, they…