ABSTRACT
Media representations and online communities serve important functions for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities, including identity exploration and support. Although parental support is one of the strongest predictors of LGBTQ youths’ mental health, families often struggle to communicate effectively in this context. This chapter presents results from a survey with LGBTQ youth about how often identity-related media content led them to discuss topics with a parent and how those experiences went. Results revealed that some families almost never talked about LGBTQ-related issues in response to media content, some did so occasionally, and a smaller group did so fairly often, with a mix of positive and negative experiences reported. The findings suggest that co-viewing of identity-related media provides opportunities for parents to show their support and that symbolic annihilation of particular groups deprives them of those opportunities.
