By Rachel Daem, CNN, June 29, 2022
When Justine Larson's son came out as transgender at age 11, she didn't know how to react. Despite being supportive of LGBTQ communities, Larson struggled to accept that her child, assigned female at birth, would have a different life than she imagined.
"We didn't give it as much attention as maybe we should have," she said of her and her husband's response. Their child "basically got pretty depressed and even was having some suicidal thoughts."
Feeling conflicted and hurt, Larson eventually realized that she needed to support her son however she could.
About 9.5% of youth ages 13 to 17 in the United States belong to the LGBTQ community, according to a 2020 survey conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. And LGBTQ youth who felt high social support from their families reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate support, according to The Trevor Project's 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
The acronym LGBTQ is short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, or questioning. The term also includes non-binary people.
Support from parents and caregivers can make an impact on a child's mental health. When a child comes out, parents don't always know what to do and what to say, and that's OK, said Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project. The main thing is that you are there for your child, she added.
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