support for LGBTQ community

monarch

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…

Cinderella's castle as framed with a pair of Minnie Mouse ears

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…

Amy Schneider

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…

LGBTQ protestors marching down a street

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…

man in library looking at a book

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…

father talking to son in a field

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…

Family sharing dinner together

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…

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

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…

Florida State Capitol

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…

Pope Francis

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…

mom talking to daughter

This article was originally published in the NYMetroParents on July 19, 2016. The information contained in the article is still applicable, based on my book When Your Child Is Gay:…

coming-out

Coming Out: Preparation is Key

This article was co-written with Nasir Fleming and originally published on the HuffPost Contributor Platform on 10/2/16. The advice is still pertinent. Coming Out: Preparation Is Key (Tips from a Straight…

close up of male gay couple over pride flag

Coming Out as Transgender: How Should A Parent React?

 The world seems to be exploding with gender choices.  It’s hard to keep up with all the terms, but as a parent, you may want to know the basics such…

group of people holding candle near buildings

How Will You Show Support For Transgenders on Transgender Day Of Remembrance?

Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19) culminates in Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 each year. TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in honor of…

transgender awareness week

What Does “Trans“ mean? That’s Why we have Transgender Awareness Week (11/13-19)

Does it mean you cross- dress? Have had surgery F-T-M (female -to -male) or M-T-F ( male- to -female).  What pronouns do you use?  Is it possible to be LGB…