Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro

Always My Child:

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Supporting Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter

—Coauthored with Kevin Jennings, Executive Director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

Up to ten percent of young people will identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered and nearly a third of teens go through a “questioning phase” or wrestle with peer pressure around sexual identity issues. Driven by the need to be accepted, teens who feel they don’t conform hide their struggle. Before long, as they become more closeted or confused, their self esteem plummets and isolation sets in. And an isolated child is a child at risk.

Consistent acceptance and support at home is the best way for teens to surmount the teasing, depression and harassment that come with being something other than decidedly heterosexual. Filled with real life stories, scientific research and practical advice, Always My Child: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Supporting Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter provides parents with a guide to the world their child inhabits. It offers specific advice, including how to:

• separate their worries from those of their child
• open dialogue with sample conversations
• defuse tensions and eliminate judgmental reactions
• effectively advocate for their child’s well-being outside the home.