LGBTQ+ Mental Health Support for Families and Individuals

Key takeaways

• Supporting your LGBTQ Child

• Take Pride in Mental Health

• Take Part in the Twin Cities Pride Festival

• Coming Out; A Lifespan Perspective

Supporting your LGBTQ Child

Parents and caregivers of LGBTQ youth have a significant opportunity to positively influence their child’s well-being and future. LGBTQ youth whose parents and caregivers support them have better overall physical and mental health, higher self-esteem, and are less likely to use illicit drugs. LGBTQ youth who are accepted by their families are much more likely to believe they will have a good life and will become a happy, productive adult. The information discussed in this blog entry can also be useful for other trusted, caring adults in the LGBTQ youth’s life.

Family support plays a particularly crucial role in affecting the likelihood of suicide. Youth who face rejection after coming out to their families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than youth who are supported by their families. For LGBTQ people aged 10–24, suicide is one of the leading causes of death (NAMI). LGBTQ youth who face family rejection are nearly 6 times as likely to report high levels of depression, more than 3 times as likely to use illegal drugs, and more than 3 times as likely to be at high risk for HIV and STDs than someone who has been accepted by their family after revealing their sexual orientation (Ryan, 2009).

Family conflict and alienation due to a child’s LGBTQ identity contributes to isolation and puts them at risk for abuse and homelessness. According to a survey of service providers who work with LGBTQ youth who are homeless conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law in 2012, 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ (Durso & Gates). It’s estimated that LGBTQ youth represent about 7 percent of the population, which puts that 40 percent figure into a heartbreaking context. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) respondents indicated that family rejection was a major factor contributing to LGBT youth homelessness, making it the most cited factor, and more than half (54%) of respondents indicated that abuse in their family was another important factor contributing to LGBTQ homelessness (Durso & Gates, 2012).

Take Pride in Mental Health

In honor of Pride Month, this June MHCS wants to highlight some of its history, explore emotional effects, and offer ways to celebrate. Our hope is that by calling attention to the importance of wellness and the power of acceptance, education, and inclusion, we can encourage everyone to take pride in mental health.

“Pride” (also “gay pride” or “LGBT pride”) became a popular term when bisexual and gay activists used it to describe LGBTQ+ rights celebrations in the aftermath of the Stonewall Riots . In June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a renowned gay bar in New York City. Tired of being hassled by constant raids, members of New York’s gay community protested for days outside the club. This rebellion is what ultimately motivated the gay rights movement.

One year later, the first Pride celebrations and marches were held in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. We celebrate Pride in June to pay homage to the initial event that helped instigate awareness and change.

How to Take Part in the Twin Cities Pride Festival

You have probably heard of the Twin Cities Pride Festival in one capacity or another. You might have seen the festivities being talked about on the news, or gotten caught up in the parade’s traffic, or had the sudden barrage of rainbows lining the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul catch your eye. But why do we celebrate it? Is it worth attending? And is it an appropriate activity for the whole family?

In cities all over the world, the month of June has become synonymous with Gay Pride. June was dubbed “Pride Month” in order to honor and remember the Stonewall uprising that took place in Greenwich Village in June of 1969. The uprising started after police raided a known gay club and resulted in the deaths of 8 queer, unarmed people. Over the course of the next few days, people banned together to protest police violence, and to advocate for their rights to live and love freely. The protests against profound injustice inspired queer and straight people alike engage in political activism, and to form some of the first gay rights organizations, including GLAAD and PFLAG. In short, the Stonewall uprising was the catalyst for the Gay Rights Movement.

While the world has dramatically improved for queer people from the 1960’s, it is still important to stand united against the continued violence and discrimination of queer people, and to affirm the dignity and rights of all people. It is still important to remember those we have lost to hate crimes, HIV/AIDS, and suicide. And yes, it is still important to celebrate sexually diverse and gender variant people, who often feel marginalized and excluded from mainstream, heteronormative culture.

Coming Out; A Lifespan Perspective

It wasn’t a common thing to be out when I was a kid. Having grown up in the early 90’s, all I knew of gay culture was that I was a likely candidate to join the team, and that my prospects weren’t good. I had heard of estranged family members, how often people speculated about another’s sexuality, and knew that I could never make it in any position at the one place gay was okay; the salon.

As I got older, more and more representations of LGBTQ individuals were showing up on TV and in movies. What started as a few taboo stories on premium channels in my youth (e.g. Sex in the City, Queer as Folk, and The L Word) has grown into primetime slots on basic cable (e.g.The Fosters , Modern Family , and Grey’s Anatomy).

The world has gotten so much better for LGBTQ youth in fact, that my adolescent clients are often teaching me new vocab terms, coming out earlier in life, and analyzing ways to make their world more inclusive.

When to reach out

If symptoms are affecting relationships, work, school, sleep, or daily routines, professional support can help you sort through what is happening and choose a realistic next step.

MHCS provides therapy and mental health support for individuals, couples, families, teens, and adults.