Want a NOOK? Explore Now
"I'm gay." When a child confides these words to a parent, they can totally transform the relationship. Will that transformation result in a closer bond or a broken one?
Coming Around is an insightful and uplifting guide for understanding and coming to terms with a child's sexual orientation and maintaining a dialogue between parent and child. With compassion and wisdom, Dohrenwend addresses parents' fears regarding:
What to say and what not to say
How to deal with social concerns, religious prejudice and bigotry
Which legal issues face LGBT individuals
How to understand homophobia
Most important, she shares how to communicate that, whatever happens with a child's sexual or gender choice, parents will never withdraw their love.
Coming out is a vulnerable time. Its announcement requires the re-exploration of a parent's personal feelings on homosexuality. Coming Around is a rich resource, jam-packed with insights, information and practical guidance for the parents of gay, bisexual and transgender children, as well as an indispensable reference for therapists, clergy, educators and psychological self-help collections.
Introduction xiii
Part I Tempering First Reactions
Chapter 1 Taking a Generational Perspective 3
Chapter 2 What Is LGBTQ? 7
Chapter 3 First Reactions 11
Chapter 4 What Not to Say 19
Chapter 5 What to Say 27
Chapter 6 Getting It Right When You Can't Agree 31
Chapter 7 Parental Adjustments 37
Part II Homophobia
Chapter 8 Understanding Homophobia 47
Chapter 9 Dissecting Stereotypes 51
Chapter 10 Casual Cruelty 57
Chapter 11 When Homophobia Morphs into Hate 61
Chapter 12 Religion and Homophobia 65
Chapter 13 Bullying 71
Chapter 14 Can Sexual Orientation be Changed? 79
Part III The Path to Healthy Adulthood
Chapter 15 Social-Emotional Development 87
Chapter 16 The Only Way Through Is Out 95
Chapter 17 Stages of Coming Out 105
Chapter 18 When Development Derails 113
Chapter 19 Resiliency and Hope 119
Part IV Health and Sexuality
Chapter 20 Sexuality: The Birds and the Bees Revisited 125
Chapter 21 Health Risks 133
Chapter 22 Optimizing Health Care 145
Chapter 23 Becoming an In-Law and Grandparent 159
Part V The Fight for Equality
Chapter 24 Values, Rights and Laws 167
Chapter 25 Marriage Matters 171
Chapter 26 Legal Protections 177
Chapter 27 Positively Gay 181
Conclusion 185
Appendix 187
Notes 195
Bibliography 203
Acknowledgements 223
Anonymous
Posted September 21, 2012
Amazing book! As a gay adult, I was amazed by this book. The author, with a wonderfully conversational and personable tone, makes readers feel OK about struggling through their children's sexuality. The book offers truly helpful, practical tips to help parents understand their children and to 'come around' to being the parents their kids need. But it isn't just for parents. This book is for anyone with gay friends or family.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
"I'm gay." When a child confides these words to a parent, they can totally transform the relationship. Will that transformation result in a closer bond or a broken one?
Coming Around is an insightful and uplifting guide for understanding and coming to terms with a child's sexual orientation and maintaining a dialogue between parent and child. With compassion and wisdom, Dohrenwend addresses parents' fears ...