National Parents Coming Out Day

As your child becomes more open, it’s important that you become more open, keeping pace to provide encouragement and emotional help. Parental support begins with being a safe person to trust, but each further step you take strengthens the bond with your child and helps ensure their health and safety.

Show support on October 12, National Parents Coming Out Day. Held the day after National Coming Out Day on October 11, it’s a day when parents and allies can come out in support of LGBTQ children. But remember, this is not your story — it’s your child’s story. It is imperative you do not ’out’ your child beyond their wishes.

Here are actions you can take on National Parents Coming Out Day and beyond:

1. No matter whether you have an LGBTQ loved one or not, you can “come out” as a supporter with these 21 Ideas for Being an Independent LGBTQ Ally. Depending on your child’s need for privacy or openness, we also have 28 Ideas for Telling Others. Or if you need support, it may be helpful to work with a counselor, in which case we offer Frequently Asked Questions about Counseling & Therapy. (All this info is also available in a printable PDF.)
2. If you and your child are comfortable, you can also post on social media. Simply copy and use the sample text and graphic, or use your own (you could also include some of these relevant LGBTQ statistics):
   Strong families include #LGBTQ acceptance. So I’m happy to share National Parents Coming Out Day is October 12, when parents can “come out” in support of their out kids. Help save lives and preserve families with www.strongfamilyalliance.org (@sfamilyalliance), a nonprofit providing free resources and support for parents whose child recently came out. Please LIKE & SHARE. #strongfamily #nationalparentscomingoutday #parentscomingout
    
3. Watch one of our online events with leaders in LGBTQ education and advocacy:
   – Panel: Janet Duke, Jessica Soukup, Jo Ivester, Rev. Karen Thompson, Shailagh Clarke
   – Interview with BT Harman: Ways to Bridge the Gap between Christian Parents & Their LGBT Kids
   – Interview with Alex Patchin McNeill: Making Peace for LGBTQ at Church & Home
   – A Message of Inclusion from Texas Rep. Gene Wu
4.  It may be helpful to share your story anonymously online (or view stories from others). This is completely private and can help you practice telling your story, and help other parents not feel so alone in the process.