ABSTRACT
Families provide support and nurturance while enhancing the social and emotional growth of their members. They play an especially crucial role in the lives of gay/lesbian/bisexual youth who, in particular, need acceptance, love and affirmation to cope with a homophobic society. Approximately seven million Americans under age twenty identify themselves as gay or lesbian (Singer and Decamp, 1994). Even though most gays and lesbians are aware of their sexual orientation from their early teenage years, they typically come out to their parents during their mid- to late twenties (Çamli and Saunders, 1995; Durby, 1994; Savin-Williams, 1996). Nearly half of gay/lesbian/bisexual individuals experience rejection by their family members once they come out (Bass and Kaufman, 1996; Çamli and Saunders, 1995; Mallon, 1994). It is quite common that parents need to experience a process of coming to understanding and acceptance similar to their child's coming out, as they deal with the child's homosexuality.
