Families

Family acceptance and support are significant factors that promote well-being and protection from risks for all youth, including LGBTQ+ youth.¹ The meaning of “family” varies by personal, cultural, and other factors and can include individuals who are not biologically or legally related to a youth (i.e., families of choice).²

Family acceptance, along with strong parent-child attachment, has been found to be critical to LGBTQ+ youth’s ability to “successfully navigate stigma, isolation, and bullying.”³ Family acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth through understanding and appropriately and positively responding to their experiences and needs is a strong protective factor for the youth in successfully transitioning to adulthood.

Therefore, it is important for families to express support through:

• talking openly with youth about their LGBTQ+ identity in an affirming manner
• communicating that their young person can have a happy future as an LGBTQ+ adult
• welcoming the youth’s LGBTQ+ friends and supporting their involvement in LGBTQ+ youth groups
• working to ensure that other family members respect the young person
• talking with clergy and help their faith community support LGBTQ+ individuals
• responding positively to the youth’s gender expression including hairstyle, dress, and appearance
• advocating for youth if they are mistreated because of their identity⁴

It is also important for youth-serving agencies and communities to enhance their cultural competence in working with LGBTQ+-headed families, which are increasing in number.⁵ Youth who are not LGBTQ+ but have an LGBTQ+ caregiver may also experience bias and other negative outcomes because of reactions to their caregiver’s LGBTQ+ identity.

Youth-serving organizations and systems can build awareness about and encourage family behaviors that research has shown can affect outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth. Examples of behaviors that should be avoided and discouraged include:

• blocking access to LGBTQ+ friends, events, and resources
• blaming youth when they are discriminated against because of their LGBTQ+ identity
• pressuring youth to be more (or less) “masculine” or “feminine”
• pressuring youth to keep their LGBTQ+ identity a “secret”⁶

Although some families are supportive, accepting, and even celebratory, others may respond and behave in ways that have negative consequences and result in trauma to the youth. In 2021, The Trevor Project surveyed nearly 35,000 LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 across the United States⁷ and found that only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth surveyed found their home to be LGBTQ-affirming.⁸ Research demonstrates a strong link between family rejection of LGBT youth and negative physical and mental health outcomes for them, including being a risk factor for suicide.⁹

Resources

getREAL (Recognize. Engage. Affirm. Love)
This initiative promotes the healthy development of all children and youth, with a focus on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. getREAL challenges public systems working with children and youth to improve their policies and practices to support the healthy sexual and identity development of all children and youth in child welfare systems.

A Practitioner's Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children (PDF, 18 pages)
This guide offers information and resources to help practitioners throughout health and social service systems implement best practices in engaging and helping families and caregivers to support their LGBT children.

Resources for LGBT Youth and Friends/Supporters, and Parents, Guardians and Family Members
This webpage provides many resources for LGBT youth and friends, such as a communication tool to empower LGBT youth to become actively engaged in their health, and supportive organizations such as The Trevor Project and It Gets Better. There are also resources for parents, guardians, and family members to learn how to be supportive of LGBT youth, including fact sheets (PDF, 3 pages) and guides (PDF, 18 pages).

References