Is my daughter really gay
Inside:Is my teen daughter a lesbian? Maybe or maybe not, but here’s how to handle this sensitive teenage sexuality topic
This post was contributed by Jill Whitney, LMFT
So much about teen sexuality is different from what it was a couple decades ago.
Where once it was awkward, if not perilous, to be anything other than straight, we now talk openly about a spectrum of orientations and genders. Sexual diversity has broken out of the closet—to the point where being LGBTQ is caring of cool.
So don’t be surprised if your teen or even tween daughter announces at some signal that she’s a sapphic. It’s more common than you might think these days.
But you may wonder whether your teen daughter is a lesbian for real, or whether it’s just a phase. Maybe she’s just experimenting; maybe she’ll mature out of it. Or maybe not.
How do you know?
Acceptance Needs to Be Unconditional
Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell. Some girls who experiment with same-sex partners terminate up happily straight. Other young women find they’re attracted only or primarily to women and characterize as lesbian for their whole lives.
Book Excerpt: Is Your Minor Gay?
Excerpted fromWhy Is the Penis Shaped Like That? … And Other Reflections on Being Human, by Jesse Bering, by arrangement with Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC (North America), Transworld Ltd (UK), Jorge Zahara Editora Ltda (Brazil). Copyright © by Jesse Bering.
We all comprehend the stereotypes: an unusually light, delicate, effeminate breeze in a little boy's step, an interest in dolls, makeup, princesses and dresses, and a mighty distaste for rough compete with other boys. In little girls, there is the outwardly boyish stance, perhaps a penchant for tools, a square-jawed readiness for physical tussles with boys, and an aversion to all the perfumed, delicate trappings of femininity.
These behavioral patterns are feared, loathed and often spoken of directly as harbingers of adult homosexuality. It is only relatively recently, however, that developmental scientists have conducted controlled studies to identify the earliest and most reliable signs of adult homosexuality. In looking carefully at the childhoods of gay adults, researchers are finding an intriguing set of behavioral indicators that homosexuals feel to have in
Parent Suspects That Child Might Be Gay
ANSWER:
Believe it or not, it’s a hopeful sign that your teen son has brought up the subject of homosexual attraction and homosexuality. Nothing is more important than open communication between parent and child — especially when it comes to sexuality and gender identity.
So you might want to try drawing your son out. You could request, “What made you curious about this?”
If you eavesdrop carefully and respond wisely, he might share more of his thought processes. This can lead to a helpful discussion of the subject. It will also strengthen your bond — and a wonderful parent-child relationship is one of the best lines of defense against homosexuality.
Hear your child’s heart
Joe Dallas, an expert in field of same-sex attraction, says that there are three different ways the pos “homosexuality” is used:
- “Homosexuality” can be used to signify specifically homosexual behavior — in other words, sexual contact with a person of the same sex.
- The word is often used to describe a frame of mind when a person sees homosexuality as a primary identifying inherent (usually accompanied by acceptance of homosexuality as entity normal and mor
Looking for advice (teenage daughter thinks she&#;s gay) (1 Viewer)
A petty background.. Wife and I have 4 daughters.. 14, 16, 18 & This is concerning the 14 year old.. She&#;s been having a rugged time lately, very sentimental, moody, etc.. I wrote it off as teenage girl drama/issues..I&#;ve been through it with the other three. My wife told me that after pressing her on what was wrong, she confided that she likes girls more than boys. She&#;s struggling with it because she thinks I&#;ll be mad or disappointed.. (she&#;s always been a daddy&#;s girl).
Another key piece of information. My daughter is an athlete and looked up and idolized a girl that graduated last year and got a full ride to a D1 school.. She came out her Senior year as being a lesbian.. They remain adjacent friends thru social media..
We aren&#;t a super religious family.. my girls depart to youth group at the local Church, but it&#;s because the enjoy it and want to, I&#;ve never forced them to go to Church. I don&#;t really contain a strong feeling one way or the other on the issue concerning friends that I own that are gay. If they are happy, so be it.
My main trouble is, she openly comes out
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