John, I found your thread to be insightful. Families of adolescents of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children are all different. Some families accept their children, while others do not. One such example is my extended family. I have two cousins who are openly gay. My dad’s step-brother and his wife did not respond well to their son “coming out” because they are devout Christians. They believe marriage is designed for one man and one woman for life. Due to his parents’ reaction, he now feels like everyone who disagrees with his sexual orientation is homophobic. My dad’s sister and her husband were more accepting of their son “coming out”. They do not treat him any differently than their other children; however, my aunt now accuses …show more content…
94). “Coming out” can be nerve wracking for the adolescent. As a result, it crucial for counselors to put aside their biases towards the issue and encourage these adolescents. They need to know someone cares about them. Many times parents respond with sadness, shock, and disappointment when their child comes out at as GLBT (Davis, Staltzburg, & Locke, 2009). Some GLBT youths are ejected from their homes and even experience physical or emotional abuse (Davis et al, 2009). As a result, it is important for counselors to show these adolescents the love and compassion they so desperately need. As Christians we are called to love the person, but hate the sin. One may not agree with a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity; however, it is still important to treat them the same way you want to be treated (Luke 6: 31, NASB). Great job on your thread.
References
Davis, T.S., Saltzburg, S., & Locke, C.R. (2009). Supporting the emotional and psychological well being of sexual minority youth: Youth ideas for action. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(9), 1030-41. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.05.003
McWhirter, J.J., McWhirter, B.T., McWhirter, E.H., & McWhirter, R.J. (2013). At-risk youth: A comprehensive response for counselors, teachers, psychologists, and human service professionals (5th ed., p. 96). Belmont, CA:
Programs, policies, and practices are developed for at-risk youth, based on the evidence and research generated from this approach. The basis of such evidence is not to be the deciding factor, as stated above, but to help us identify programs, and policies that benefit our youth in positive ways.
Progar, J. (2012). Review of juveniles at risk: A plea for preventive justice. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 41(12), 1702-1704. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9841-0
MST research has recognized particular risk and protective factors for each category that impacts the life of a young person: family, peers, school, and community. After identifying the risk factors in all categories, a treatment plan is established, which concentrates on strengthening the existing protective factors within all categories, and seeking areas of potential for generating new ones (Henggler, 1999).
The family I can most relate to is The Poteat 's Family because of the religious background. My family is a firm believer of what the bible says.The partial time I grew up in my family 's home we practiced the traditional baptist way of doing things. We attending church every Sunday and one day during the week for Bible study. I got on my knees and prayed every night before paid like I was taught to do. There were no openly gay or lesbian persons around us or in our family to allow me to observe what my family really thought about that topic. I do remember the pastor mentioning that is was wrong to be homosexual but it wasn’t an open for discussion setting. Also, I never questioned anything the pastor or my family member said about anything. As of recently my daughter came out me stating she was interested in girls. I was really supportive of her and didn’t engulf her with bible scripture to support why it 's wrong to feel attraction for another girl.When my Aunt was informed she advocated that she was against homosexual and informed her the bible verses.Finally, I could witness how my family really felt about homosexuality. One thing I can say my relation to The Poteat’s she treats my daughter with love and doesn’t treat her any
Brendtro, L., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2002). Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope
Mercer, L. R. & Berger, R. M. (1989). Social service needs of lesbian and gay adolescents. Adolescent Sexuality: New Challenges for Social Workers. Haworth Press.
Despite the transition, little consideration has been given to understanding the growing population of gay adolescents. 25% of American families are likely to have a gay child (Hidalgo 24); In the United States, three million adolescents are estimated to be homosexual. Yet, American society still ignores gay adolescents. Majority of children are raised in heterosexual families, taught in heterosexual establishments, and put in heterosexual peer groups. Gay adolescents often feel forced by parents to pass as “heterosexually normal” (Herdt 2). As a result, homosexual teens hide their sexual orientation and feelings, especially from their parents. Limited research conducted on gay young adults on disclosure to parents generally suggests that disclosure is a time of familial crisis and emotional distress. Very few researchers argue that disclosure to parents results in happiness, bringing parents and children closer (Ben-Ari 90).
The counseling profession, along with various organizations, have made trying efforts in supporting the well-being of multicultural and oppressed populations. Sexual minorities are among this group, and living in a dominantly heterosexual society, subjects them to harsh discriminations, which can affect various aspects of their lives. Organizations have been developed to assist with the acceptance of nonheterosexuality and provide support to the individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Although great measures have been made to bring awareness and support to the sexual minority population, such as the legalization of same sex marriage in 2015, much remains in addressing oppression issues to assist their overall
Noah falls in love with Brian, who has just moved into town. Noah finds Brian fascinating. We soon learn that Brian feels the same about Noah, but Brian believes that if anyone were to find out he was gay, there would be major consequences for him. Brian is the captain of a sports team, the previous captain came out as gay, and as a result, was physically abused and ridiculed to the point where he had to leave the team. Brain is terrified this could happen to him. This made me think about how young LGBTQ+ individuals have to their lives in secrecy, or face ridicule. Although society today has become more understanding of such topics as LGBTQ+ rights, it makes me wonder about how many teens there are out there like Brian, who fear for their reputation and even safety because of something as simple as their sexual orientation. For me, this also raised the subject of Heteronormativity. Why is it so normal to assume everyone you meet is heterosexual? Why is heterosexuality seen as the ‘default orientation’? Society today may be more accepting than in was in the past decades, but things like heteronormativity and prejudice are still prevalent and as toxic as ever. Forcing children and teens into this ‘mould’ at such a young age is disgusting, and is the reason so many LGBTQ+ individuals find it hard to be themselves around their friends and
After I became more comfortable and started expressing who I am, when I was sober, than I felt like I might not need to use to function as a human being. I think it is definitely part of the coming out process for a lot of people, which is unfortunate.
Loeber R., and D.P. Farrington. “Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions.” Thousand Oaks. 1998. First Search. Feb 2007
When I was younger, my family never talked about gay people or being gay. My older cousins would mess around and call each other gay when they were obviously trying to insult one another, but I never heard it besides then. Whenever being gay was brought up, my parents wouldn't condemn it, but they wouldn't go into detail about it. Being the obedient little kid that I was, I thought that if my parents never said it, and if my cousins would use it to insult each other, then it must be a bad word that I shouldn't say. If I heard it being talked about at school, I would remove myself from the situation, thinking that the kids around me were talking inappropriately.
They can be those struggling with mental disorders, abusive households, harmful environments and much more. One definition, given by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation is “Youth from low-income families are vulnerable to poor outcomes as adults, as these youth often lack the resources and opportunities found to lead to better outcomes.,” (Vulnerable Youth and the Transition to Adulthood). However, there are several other circumstances in which teens could be listed as at-risk, not just low-income situations. The term itself and who fits under it is rather subjective, but the problem nonetheless is very substantial. Considering today’s modern society and the presence of technology, the potential for teens being considered at-risk increases. This is due to the fact that things associated with at-risk individuals such as gang involvement, criminal activity, and violence-associated actions, are illuminated through the
Many great friends in high school have ‘came out the closet’ to me and my opinion of them. To this day, I still believe that they are amazing people. I still feel very proud of them. I believe that they will go far into the future and be successful individuals. However, on websites like Tumblr and Twitter, some of the homosexual community has been openly ridiculing heterosexuals or even Christians. Transgenders have also been critical but not as much as the homosexual part of the community. I never met someone who was transgender, but like anyone else different than or even the same as me, I accept them. However, the only thing that makes me disappointed to them is that God made you the sex that you are. As mentioned earlier, God is perfect; He never makes mistakes. Even so, God is loving and accepting of all and is fully aware of your
Joanna Almeida, Renee M. Johnson, Heather L. Corliss, Beth E. Molnar. Emotional Distress among LGBT Youth: The Influence of Percieved Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation. 13 March 2014 .