Resolving issues that straight parents face raising LGBTQ children
Emphasizing communication and unconditional love, Davidson and Tobkes help parents untangle their own feelings, identify and overcome barriers to acceptance of their LGBTQ children. The authors share with readers how to encourage strong self-esteem in their children, react favorably to their childrens’ coming outs, and more.
During the last few years, Wesley has concentrated her writing on the LGBTQ community. Her book When Your Child is Gay: What You Need To Know (Sterling, 2016) is based on her experience as a mother of a gay son. It is co-authored with Manhattan psychiatrist, Jonathan L. Tobkes, M.D.
Recent Blog Posts
If you’re a parent lying awake wondering why your child suddenly dreads school, or an educator who senses something is wrong but can’t quite name it, you’re not alone. The bullying LGBTQ+ population faces isn’t a rare, isolated problem — it’s a widespread and often invisible mental health crisis playing out in classrooms, hallways, and…
The present generation seems so disconnected from their history. While equality is still not totally achievable because of more than seventy-five anti-LGBTQ + bills that have been signed into law. This is more than doubling last year’s number, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Conversion therapy or “pray-the-gay” away is still practiced in some states….
On March 6, 2026, the Supreme Ct. decided whether or not Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy was violating evangelical therapist Kaley Chiles’s right to freedom of speech in a case Chiles vs. Salazar. Here are the arguments: Twenty states and The District of Columbia have similar laws. Chiles lawyer, Alliance Defending Freedom, attests that “kids deserve…
Popular Blog Posts
Today’s guest post is by Jessica Simmons, a graduate student and Yale University research assistant. Jessica is a board member of Connecticut’s GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network) that promotes safety in schools. She runs the website: http://MyKindnessCounts.com, a platform for youth to share experiences about bullying, and more importantly, positive actions, resulting from…
My guest blogger today is Leslie Penkunas, editor of nola baby and family magazine in New Orleans. Leslie has two children, ages 8 and 10, and blogs about parenting on her blog: theparentinggig.com Conversation Starter As editor of a parenting magazine, I review books or assign articles tackling myriad parenting topics—how to have a happy,…
Molly Ringwald might have looked “Pretty in Pink,” but so does J. Crew’s president Jenna Lyons’s son Beckett. Or so his mother thinks. In an ad sent to J. Crew customers a few weeks ago, J. Crew President Jenna Lyons is having a fun time painting her five-year-old son Beckett’s nails. It’s a lighthearted…
“I applaud Wesley for bringing advice and support to parents whose first priority is giving their child the unconditional love that they deserve.”
Glennda Testone, Executive Directory, The LGBT Community Center
The book that countless straight parents are waiting for! Author and mother Wesley Davidson, as well as other parents, provide caring advice about the challenges that straight parents face raising gender-non-conforming children. Co-author gay psychiatrist Jonathan L. Tobkes, M.D. brings comfort and insight as well as practical tips to parents who need a helping hand.
Larry Robins, Straight Ally
I wish I had this book when I found out my son was gay! Authors Davidson and Tobkes provide useful tips to help parents adjust to their child’s sexual orientation. Straight parents and LGBT kids also share how they coped with the issues that surface around coming out.
Maureen Salamon, Journalist
The author writes from a place of knowdedge and compassion. This is a valuable resource for every home where straight parents and their LGBT children reside.
David McKinnon, Past President at PFLAG of Vero Beach