After Coming Out: Parental Acceptance of Young Lesbian and Gay People

Abstract

This study examines extant scholarly knowledge on parental acceptance of young lesbian and gay people in traditional heteronormative families. Recent literature shows that parents generally accept their lesbian and gay children. However, parents do not always accept them immediately after they come out. Acceptance takes time, and transitioning to acceptance is often a complex process that depends on parents’ access to the necessary resources for coping with the stresses of knowing that their child identifies as lesbian or gay. These resources include counseling or therapy, supportive friends and extended family, and a network of other parents with lesbian and gay children. This study also highlights the need for further research on parental acceptance in non-traditional families and of children with other non-heterosexual identities, such as asexuality, gray ace, bisexuality, or pansexuality. It also calls for an exploration of the complexities of parental acceptance as an ongoing process rather than as a singular event.

Homosexual Stories, Family Stories: Neo-Confucian Homonormativity and Storytelling in the Chinese Gay Community

“…36A few scholars have started to pay attention to homonormativity in relation to the family in Asia, including in Chinese societies (including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) (Luo 2020; 2021a; 2021b; Kong 2011; 2020; Brainer 2019; Wei and Yan 2021), India (Ghosh 2020) and Singapore (Phillips 2014). However, there is still a lack of effort, overall, to theorize Asian homonormative stories or study homonormativity in “the specific conditions in which gay people live their lives” (Brown 2012, 1069) in the non-Western world.…”

An overview of coming out research: Introducing a three‐lens typology

“…Researchers explored LGBTQ+ youth's 30 experiences of coming out to their parents —both, from the perspective of the child (e.g., Cramer & Roach, 1988; Enck et al., 1984; Potoczniak et al., 2009; Rossi, 2010; Savin‐Williams, 1989; Švab, 2016) and parent (e.g., Alpaslan et al., 2014; Butauski & Horstman, 2020; Mirkovic & Jerkovic, 2021)—and explored parents' reactions and acceptance development of their child's coming out (e.g., Cassar & Sultana, 2021; Chrisler, 2017; Drumm et al., 2021; Goodrich & Ginicola, 2017; Jaspal, 2020; Mayeza, 2021; Pullen Sansfaçon et al., 2020; van Bergen et al., 2020). Acceptance development and similar terms such as ‘family adjustment’ or ‘acceptance journey’ refer to findings that suggest that despite common parental reactions of shock, surprise, confusion, and stress (Ghosh, 2020) that can lead to negative consequences for the disclosing individual, 31 initial negative parental reactions can develop into acceptance and support.…”

“…This includes massive amounts of publications within multiple disciplines that focus on different coming out aspects. Authors have provided overviews of coming out research sub‐areas, for example, of parental acceptance after coming out (Ghosh, 2020), the coming out process of LGB individuals in families (Alonzo & Buttitta, 2019), or as part of publication introductions. However, no one has ever provided an overview of the entire coming out research field, an overview that is needed if we want to better understand its development and reach.…”

“Into Nje – It’s Just a Thing…”: Being a Lesbian in a Rural Area

“…Rudwick's (2010) study participants revealed how some of their families would slaughter livestock and perform rituals in with the hope of their becoming "real men". After several failed attempts, it was often the women who accepted their family member's gay identities (Ghosh, 2020;Khaxas & Frank, 2013;Ryan, 2009). For centuries the debate over the place of homosexuality in Christianity has been and still is an issue (Nkosi & Masson, 2017;Ravhuhali, Maluleke, Mboweni & Nendauni, 2019).…”

“…However, being rejected affects people differently. Globally, at least 51% of LGBTI youth have experienced discrimination within their families, often through socio-emotional rejection along with economic sanctions (Ghosh, 2020). As noted by Abou-Chadi and Finnigan, (2019), because of their sociocultural beliefs, some families will not only disown the homosexual family member, but those who are seen to be supporting them also face possible rejection.…”