FINAL TSTO Lesa Dec 14.pdf - Flipbook - Page 48
Some young people who are gay have had it tough for a long time —
if they have been picked out as different from the other children they
may have been criticised or bullied at school or even in the street.
Other young people, who nobody has identified as gay, may still be
feeling the pressure of living a lie, hoping no-one will find out about
them. To state the obvious, this is not good for their health, especially
their mental and emotional health. See Lifeline on page 63.
They may have gone through all this alone rather than risking losing
you by bringing you in as an ally. You knowing about it is a great step
forward in helping them cope with whatever is going on in their lives.
Now there are two or more of you on the team.
Telling parents and
risking losing their
love is the thing...
young people fear
the most
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If it takes you some time to get used to the idea, don’t worry — your
child probably took some time to get used to the idea too. Eventually,
most parents of young people who are gay are relieved to know,
and pleased to see the improvement in their relationship with their
child when it is out in the open. Later on, you may experience the joy
of welcoming a same-sex partner into the family. And gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender or queer (GLBTQ) people often have children
too.
It helps to know that other young people and other families can
survive and thrive. There is a group called Parents and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) that is well worth contacting for a chat
about the issues, and the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service
of NSW (GLCS) counselling line is another important support for
parents coming to terms with their GLBTQ children (see page 62 for
contact details).
