If you came out in high school, what was your experience like? Freshman daughter currently says she is bisexual and dating someone who identifies as gender fluid. Looking for tips on coming out to family, providing support, and coping with negative experiences at school.
Your daughter is allowed on EC if she feels comfortable to get support that way. Honestly your daughter needs a lot of support as she is the one going through this. From self experience, she needs support, kindness and acceptance.. Nothing has changed she is just being herself. It is not a phase. If she says she is bisexual, she is.
She was outed to some friends by the person she is seeing. She said she was not ready to be out to extended family or siblings yet. Given her age, I’d prefer her support come from in person groups rather than a web forum. She’s pretty impulsive and I’m concerned about safety with online groups.
Hi, and welcome! First, you sound like an awesome parent! I wish more parents had your perspective. The fact she came to you to discuss this says so much about what you are doing correctly. There may be an LGBT center in your area where she can have in-person support from others her age. If not, there are PFLAG groups almost everywhere, and while those are for parents and friends, they are often great networks for finding in-person resources. You are also wise to be concerned about online communities for a young teen. EC is rather unique in that we are a "walled garden", with a ban on sharing of any information that would lead to off-site contact, and extensive monitoring of all online interaction, plus a community that is really good about reporting any inappropriate behavior. While no community online can ever be 100% safe, we are aimed specifically to be a safe space for younger teens, and we come pretty close. You can read more here. Your daughter might benefit from being able to talk to others here if she is unable to find a safe in-person group in your area.
