ABSTRACT
This chapter finds that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people with accepting caretakers were nearly three times more likely to think that they could be happy as adults than those with rejecting caretakers. The acceptance that a youth experiences from their families or foster families can also play a pivotal role in helping them to navigate other spaces that may not be as safe and affirming, such as school or extracurricular settings. When a youth has the support of their parents, they are much more likely to seek out supportive and affirming resources such as school- and community-based programs such as gay-straight alliances (GSAs). Rejecting behaviors from foster parents and other caretakers can take a number of forms. In many cases, foster families may respond to an LGBTQ based upon what they know and what they have been taught around issues related to a youth's sexual orientation, gender, identity, or expression.
