Rejections Can Be Costly

A study from San Francisco State University’s Family Acceptance Project has confirmed what many of us instinctively or experientially knew: there is a clear link between a negative family reaction to an out gay child and harmful health risks to that young person. Dr. Caitlin Ryan, author of the study entitled "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young Adults," has found that gay adolescents facing family rejection were at increased risk of depression, illegal drug use, HIV infection, and suicide attempts in early adulthood.

"This study clearly shows the tremendous harm of family rejection, even if parents think they are well-intentioned, following deeply held beliefs or even protecting their children," said Dr. Sten Vermund of Nashville’s Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Ryan’s research also indicates that parents and caregivers can modify rejecting behavior once they understand the serious impact their words and actions have on their LGBT children’s health. Dr. Ryan’s Family Acceptance Project had success in helping parents and caregivers learn how to support their LGBT children and to prevent the extremely high levels of risk related to family rejection. Even a little change in parenting behavior had positives outcomes for young people.

The results of this study make it all the more shocking and sad that the homophobic right continues to encourage parents to reject the sexual orientation of their gay children. While the "religious right" hopes their ongoing war against the gay community reduces the number of Americans who identify as gay, in actuality it only serves to compromise the physical and mental health of vulnerable young people.

Although the "religious right" shamelessly uses the high incidence of HIV/AIDS among gay males as a weapon to fight against gay civil rights and equality, the San Francisco State study indicates that the anti-gay environment championed by the right actually promotes new HIV infections. Dr. Vermund is concerned about this correlation: "In today’s often hostile climate for LGBT youth, it is especially important to note that both mental health issues like depression and suicide and HIV risk behaviors were greatly increased by rejection. Given the ongoing HIV epidemic in America, in which half of all new cases of HIV are found in men who have sex with men and there is a growing concern about prevention messages reaching young people, it is vital that we share these findings with parents and service providers who work with youth in every way."

One organization that encourages families to reject the gay sexual orientation of their loved ones is Focus on the Family. Their 10-year-old "ex-gay" ministry known as "Love Won Out" seeks to "cure" gays of their homosexuality. The promotional material for their conferences states that parents will learn how to "prevent your child from embracing this destructive way of life," clearly encouraging parents to adopt attitudes and behave in ways that are being found to have harmful repercussions for the health of gay youth.