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

Raleigh Allies

Hosted by LGBT Center of Raleigh

Raleigh Allies is a resource for our friends and family (and those of LGBT individuals) to help better educate and foster dialogue that helps to further educate others. More so, we hope to be an entry point for people who may not necessarily consider themselves a part of the LGBT community and help encourage a transition from passive support to active engagement in furthering the cause of Equality. The program is not just limited to heterosexual individuals however, and anyone who considers themselves an ally to a sexual or gender minority are welcome!

Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies (SOFFA)

Hosted by LGBT Center of Raleigh

SoFFA is an off shoot of the LGBT Center of Raleigh's Transgender Initiative to create a peer support and social network for significant others, friends, family, and allies of people in transition or questioning whether transition is appropriate, as well as gender fluid or gender queer individuals. We extend our communal safe space to address the special needs, concerns, and questions those with gender non-conforming loved ones face.

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.

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.

iNSIDEOUT 180

iNSIDEoUT is a youth-founded, youth-led organization that provides leadership opportunities & a safe space for North Carolina's LGBTQISA-queer youth, both in & out of schools. By providing educational-, social-, & activism-oriented programs, iNSIDEoUT strives to form, strengthen, & network Gay-Straight Alliances while connecting & empowering youth, seeking to expand beyond the Triangle. iNSIDEoUT encourages you to become a part of our family & community.  This includes a comprehensive listing of area High Schools' GSA (Gay Straight Alliances).

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.

The Know and Love Project

The Know and Love Project aims to present stories of loving and committed North Carolina families with gay and lesbian members in order to raise awareness and increase public support for the equal rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in North Carolina and across the nation.

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.

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)