Talking with Teens About GLBT Issues
One of the most disturbing phenomena for me in dealing with teenagers is the frequency with which they use the word “gay” to describe things that are bad, and seem to have no self-consciousness about why this might be a bad choice. I’m constantly sort of horrified, because it seems to become way more prevalent in situations where you’re dealing with lots of kids at once, like at camps or other summer programs. I coach debate, so this is something I’ve definitely noticed - when you’re dealing with 4 kids, they tend to be pretty polite and circumspect, but when there are seventy of them? Watch out.
One of the easiest ways to combat this situation, however, is to talk with your kid, or the kids you’re with, about GLBT issues up front, so you don’t have to have the scary moment where one kid calls another kid “gay” and your impulse is to scream even though you know it’s the wrong reaction. That’s why I was glad to see that Mombian has a guest post up at Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten that’s about talking with your teens about LGBT issues. As she says,
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are more visible in today’s society than ever before. LGBT-rights issues are often in the news, and LGBT-headed families are taking an open, active part in local schools and communities. (Gay and lesbian families live in 99.3 percent of all counties in the U.S., according to the 2000 Census.)
Not only that, but as children reach their teens, some may themselves discover that they are LGBT, or at least wonder about it. For all these reasons, it is important to discuss with our children what it means to be LGBT, how to respond when meeting someone who is LGBT or who has LGBT parents, and how to be tolerant and respectful of others even if one doesn’t believe that being LGBT is morally right. If you need convincing that such knowledge is a necessity in our world today, read the Human Rights Campaign’s “A Few Facts� (PDF), a brief overview of the changing structure of U.S. families, children of LGBT parents, the impact of bullying and anti-LGBT name-calling at schools, and the early development of sexual orientation.
She says it’s not meant to be comprehensive, but I think it’s a good place to start.
GLBT Families, GLBT, Teenagers
GLBT Families, GLBT, Teenagers
February 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
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