Tag: parents of LGBTQ

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Study: More Gay/Bi Teens Comfortable Being Out To Parents

Teenager with Pride flag in back pocket - photo by Toni Reed

Teenager with Pride flag in back pocket
(photo: Toni Reed/Unsplash)
At what age did you come out to your parents? A new study shows the number of gay and bisexual teenage boys that are comfortable being out to their parents has surged by double digits in 20 years. According to the study, published in the journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation, 66 percent of gay and bi males aged 13-18 are out to their mothers. Forty-nine percent indicated they are out to their dads. This is a huge change from the 1990s when just 40 percent of adolescent boys were out to their moms and less than 30 percent were open about their attractions with their dads. The numbers come from a survey of 1,194 Generation Z boys (born between 1998 and 2018) with same-sex attractions. The data also shows different factors – religion, identity, race – can play a part in terms of who is more comfortable being out with their parents. Not surprisingly, those who come from a more religious background are less likely to be out than those less religious. White survey participants were more likely to be out than Black respondents. And those who identify as gay were more comfortable in being open with their parents than bisexual male teens or those less sure of their sexuality. Lead author David A. Moskowitz, Ph.D., said in a statement that this information can help psychologists understand what factors “move teenagers to share this type of information with those closest to them.” Moskowitz noted in the study that there’s more work to be done (like doing a similar survey among females in the same age group), but added, ”We can now compare these practices with how other generations deal with these issues and think about what it all means for future generations.”

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NBA Star Dwayne Wade On Supporting Son Attending Pride: “It’s My Job As A Father”

“I don’t really talk about it much because it’s Zion’s story to tell,” Wade said to Variety during an interview at Cannes Lions, the annual advertising conference in the South of France. “I think as a family, we should support each other. That’s our job. And my job as a father is to facilitate their lives and to support them and be behind them in whatever they want to do.”
Dwayne Wade

NBA star Dwyane Wade shared with Variety recently that it’s “his job as a father” to support his son attending a pride parade.

In April, Wade’s then 11-year-old son Zion posted pictures of himself at Miami Pride, with his siblings and stepmother Gabrielle Union.

Wade, who was on the road with the Miami Heat, chimed in and voiced his love for Zion on social media. “We support each other wide Pride!” Wade wrote on Instagram.

“I don’t really talk about it much because it’s Zion’s story to tell,” Wade said to Variety during an interview at Cannes Lions, the annual advertising conference in the South of France. “I think as a family, we should support each other. That’s our job. And my job as a father is to facilitate their lives and to support them and be behind them in whatever they want to do.”

Asked if he had a message for other parents during Pride month, Wade said it’s no different than parenting every other month of the year.

“I’m asked a question about my kids a lot from a sports perspective,” Wade said. “I think people expect you to parent each kids the same. They are all different, and I have to get to know them and where they are. I have to say to most parents, get to know your kids. Don’t put your wants and needs on them.”