What does "coming out" mean? How worried should I be? How can I be supportive? What if I don't feel I can be supportive?
When your child comes out as LGBTQ, it might catch you by surprise. You might have felt like you've known all along. Regardless, you're bound to have a lot of questions about where to go from here.
Our aim is not to tell you how to parent your children, but instead to provide you with as many resources as possible so that you can make informed decisions about how to proceed from here. Being a member of the LGBTQ community can put your children at risk for decreased self-confidence, anxiety, fear and victimization due to bullying and abuse, both emotional and physical. It is important to realize that being LGBTQ does not automatically assume that these risk factors will happen, instead it is the community and society that creates these risk factors for your children. The more love and support they feel from their family, friends, and community, the less likely their being LGBTQ will be a risk factor. Please take advantage of all the resources and links we have provided and never be afraid to ask questions. No child is the same and you won't understand what your child is going through unless you communicate with one another.