Supportive Families

When someone comes out...when you are thinking of coming out....there are many ways that impacts others in your family. 

The LGBTQ Center recognizes that there are many different family structures and family is not limited to biological or legal definitions.  We have provided here some helpful resources that address families of all sorts – whether you are born into them or you have chosen them.

Local Resources

TransGens

Hosted by LGBT Center of Raleigh

TransGens is a discussion group for parents and their adolescent transgender or gender expansive children. Program and discussion topics are geared toward adolescents in middle and high school (6th-12th grades) and their parents. The aim is to build community, provide support and have discussion about transition-related topics.

Parents of Queer Youth Alliance (PQYA)

Hosted by LGBT Center of Raleigh

Parents of Queer Youth Alliance (PQYA) is a support and discussion group intended to serve as a safe space for parents to find support, build community, ask questions, and address the challenges they face raising LGBTQ+ children.

Triangle Families (Facebook Group)

Triangle Families is a Facebook group created to facilitate communication and foster community among LBGTQ parents and their allies in the Triangle region of North Carolina (Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh).

Triangle PFLAG

Meets twice monthly, in Durham and Raleigh.

If you are a parent or friend struggling to understand and accept a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender* or queer loved one, we can help. If you are an LGBTQ individual seeking an affirming community within which to explore and grow, PFLAG Triangle is here to support you. If you are a friend or ally seeking to advocate on behalf of equal rights, we welcome you.

Whatever your position or wherever you are in your stage of discovery, PFLAG Triangle is here to support you in your journey.

Rainbow Collective for Change

Rainbow Collective for Change NC is building safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ and gender diverse children and families in Durham, NC and surrounding areas. RCC regularly hosts Rainbow Play Dates, Rainbow Story Times, meetups, extracurricular activities, and summer camps.

State and National Resources

COLAGE

​COLAGE unites people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer parents into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in their communities.

Gender Spectrum

Gender Spectrum provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens. Website provides a number of excellent resources and information.

Institute for Welcoming Resources

The Institute for Welcoming Resources' mission is to create resources that support the unconditional welcome of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and their families in the church home of their choice.

Transforming Families NC and Allies Facebook Group

A closed group is to share events and information relevant to the North Carolina transgender community especially families with transgender youth, transgender individuals and families with transgender parents. The group is "visible" so anyone can find it, but "Private" so only members can see who's in the group and what they post.

Visit Website

Educational Resources for Families

At the LGBTQ Center Lending Library, we house thousands of informative and insightful books.  In particular, we have many that pertain to family-oriented issues. Carolina students, faculty, and staff members are welcome to borrow them from us, and community members may purchase them from a bookstore or find them at a local library. Some books that we recommend as resources for parents and caregivers include the following:

  • Families of Value: Gay & Lesbian Parents and their Children Speak Out (Jane Drucker)
  • Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out (Jane Drucker)
  • Eve's New Rib (Robert Francoeur)
  • Families Like Mine:  Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is (Abigail Garner)
  • Beyond Acceptance (Carolyn Welch Griffin, Marian J. Worth, Arthur G. Worth)
  • Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up With Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Parents (Noelle Howey and Ellen Samuels)
  • Always My Child (Kevin Jennings)
  • My Child is Gay (Bryce McDougall)
  • For Your Own Good:  Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence (Alice Miller)
  • Parents Matter (Ann Muller)
  • A Member of the Family: Gay Men Write About Their Families (Bob Summers, Michael Bronski)
  • Growing Up Straight:  What Every Parent Should Know About Homosexuality (Peter and Barbara Wyden)
  • Women in Love: Portraits of Lesbian Mothers and Their Families (Barbara Seyda and Diane Herrera)
  • Love Makes A Family (Gigi Kaeser/Peggy Gillespie)
  • All Families are Different (Sol Gordon)
  • Mom, Dad.  I'm Gay:  How Families Negotiate Coming Out (Ritch C. Savin-Williams)
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