What to Do if Your Child Reveals They’re Part of the LGBTQ+ Community

An interesting study recently revealed that more Americans identify as LGBTQ+ than at any other time in history. The reason for that is probably not because there are more LBGTQ+ people than ever before. Instead, it indicates that more people are comfortable coming out and living as their authentic selves. More people than ever are now more aware of their sexuality and all kinds of sexuality are celebrated, from flying demiromantic flags to wearing the pride colors proudly! 

As a parent, there are decent odds that you might have a child “come out” to you. Coming out means that they choose to share this aspect of their lives with you. If you have several children, the odds of this happening only go up.

Some parents might not know how to react if something like this happens. Here are some tips on how you can respond.

Think Carefully for a Moment Before You Say or Do Anything

Parents are afraid for their children for all kinds of reasons. You might warn your kids about drugs, underage drinking, or texting while driving. In one recent year, distracted driving caused more than 2,800 deaths, so these are legitimate concerns.  

If your child decides to tell you that they’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, you might worry for them. That’s because there’s a lot of violence and bigotry that society directs toward these individuals. You may also feel a certain way about it because your religion or upbringing dictates that you should.

That’s why, if your child or teenager decides to talk to you about this, you should probably take a few deep breaths before responding too hastily. If you blow up at them because you disapprove, you might poison your relationship with them forever. This is a big moment for both them and you, and what you do is going to reverberate for the remainder of both of your lives.

What Exactly Does LGBTQ+ Mean?

Your child will probably not use the term “LGBTQ+” when they come out to you. You might not even have ever heard this term before. It’s a somewhat wordy way to say lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer. The plus sign might stand for many things, like pansexual, asexual, or gender-nonconforming.

All of this might intimidate you, but the chances are that your child is only going to tell you that they’re one of these things. They might tell you they’re gay, for instance, or that they’re trans, short for transexual. Maybe you already know all about what that means, but if you don’t, now is your chance to learn.

The umbrella term “LGBTQ+” encompasses both sexuality and gender identity. These can relate to one another, but they are not necessarily the same. For instance, someone can be both trans and gay, but they can also be one without being the other.

Move Forward with Love

Even if you don’t know very much about what it means when your child reveals this part of themselves to you, you should remember one thing. They trusted you enough to say this to you, and it probably wasn’t easy. It’s often difficult to say to even very accepting and loving parents that you belong to this group.

That is because, for many years, society has shunned and demonized this group’s members. Even when doctors decided to no longer consider homosexuality a mental disease or defect, mainstream society often made fun of gay, trans, or gender-nonconforming people. They were “different” or “other,” and that made people fear and hate them.

You should understand that being this way is not some choice or fashion statement. It would make very little sense for a human being to choose this lifestyle, knowing the challenging road they probably have ahead.

Even if you belong to a religion that says that what your child is now telling you about themselves is wrong, you should at least try to understand what it would do to their fragile psyche if you chose to reject them at this moment. Regardless of what you believe, you should realize that this is still your child, and there’s no reason to love them any less now than you did before.

The best possible thing that you can do for them at this point is to tell them that you love and accept them. Doing so might save their life. Suicide rates among the LGBTQ+ community are higher than those who do not identify as part of that group.

Now’s your chance to show your child that you can love and support them as they grow into this part of themselves.