Supporting Your Gay Teen
If your child told you he or she was gay, would you know how to respond? Get some advice on the best ways to support your gay teen.
Updated: December 1, 2022
In this article, you will find:
What you should do
Do's for Parents- Do listen to what your child has to say about his or her life and experiences.
- Do take the time to seek information about the lives of GLBT people from parents of GLBT people, friends of your child, literature, and, most of all, directly from your child.
- Do get professional help for anyone in the family, including yourself, who becomes severely depressed over your child's sexuality or gender identity.
- Do accept that you are responsible for your negative reactions.
- Do respect your child's right to engage in loving relationships.
- Do try to develop trust and openness by allowing your child to be who she or he is without pressure.
- Do be proud of your child's capacity for having loving relationships.
- Do look for the injured feelings underneath the anger and respond to them.
- Do defend your child against discrimination.
- Do support your child's individual goals, even though they may differ drastically from your own.
- Do say "I love you."
PFLAG offers a free Q&A booklet for the parents of gay, lesbian, and bisexual children on their website; you can download it here.
