275: ENCORE: How Do I Support My LGBTQ+ Daughter?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan

Mental Health, Kids & Family, Parenting, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 828 Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If your child has just come out to you — or you sense they might be questioning their gender identity — you may be wondering what to say, what to do, and how to get this right. This episode is here to help. Dr. Lisa Damour walks parents through one of the most important conversations of adolescence: how to respond when your tween or teen comes out as gay, lesbian, or bi, or expresses a non-traditional gender identity. From what to say in that first moment, to navigating sleepovers, sex, family disclosure, and community attitudes, this episode gives you a clear, compassionate roadmap so you don't have to guess your way through it. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - Why your first response matters so much, and the exact words that protect your relationship and your child's trust - How to handle the complicated question of whether to tell your other parent or keep your child's confidence - How to set sleepover and dating boundaries that are fair, consistent, and built on trust, regardless of your child's sexual orientation or gender identity - What to do if your initial reaction missed the mark (and how to repair it) - How to support your LGBTQ+ child even if your community isn't fully accepting (and where to find resources to help) In honor of Pride Month, we're bringing this one back. Every family navigating this deserves guidance they can trust. ________________ GET DR. DAMOUR'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to your inbox → ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/⁠ DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS - Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – ⁠https://bit.ly/UntangledBook⁠ - Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – ⁠https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook⁠ - The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – ⁠https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp⁠ UNTANGLING 10TO20 MEMBERSHIP Premium courses & resources for teens and the adults who care for them → ⁠https://lnkd.in/gr52MB-F⁠ VISIT DR. LISA'S WEBSITE → ⁠https://drlisadamour.com/⁠ ________________ Today's sponsors: iRestore: Receive discounts on their red light therapy devices at ⁠https://www.irestore.com/⁠ Cozy Earth: Get 20% off your order with promo code ASKLISA ⁠https://cozyearth.com/ Jones Road Beauty: Use the code ASKLISA for a free full sized Mascara with your first purchase at ⁠https://www.jonesroadbeauty.com⁠. Momentous: Get up to 35% off your first order with promo code ASKLISA at ⁠https://www.livemomentous.com⁠ ________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. ________________ Episode keywords: how to support lgbtq child, my daughter came out as gay, my teen says she is bi, how to support lesbian daughter, parenting lgbtq teens, talking to kids about same sex relationships, lgbtq teen coming out to parents, rules for sleepovers lgbtq, conservative community lgbtq child, is my teen really gay or a phase Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence

Transcript

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0:00.0	Tell me a parenting issue everyone struggles with with tweens and teens, but no one talks about.
0:06.8	Rina, I think a lot of people feel like they just don't know how to connect to their kid anymore.
0:12.6	I'm Rina Nainen and welcome to Ask Lisa the psychology of raising tweens and teens.
0:17.6	And I'm Dr. Lisa D'Amour.
0:19.0	We bring you science-back strategies for managing anxiety, discipline, intense emotions, and more.
0:25.3	We decode tough parenting issues with tips you can use right now.
0:29.2	So subscribe to Ask Lisa the Psychology of Raising Twins and Teens and join our YouTube community today.
0:35.7	Just Google, Ask Lisa Podcast.
0:38.0	We're here to help you untangle family life.
0:43.3	Encore Episode 275.
0:45.3	How do I support my LGBTQ plus daughter?
0:59.0	Friends, if your child has come out to you or you sense that they might be questioning their identity,
1:03.2	your first response matters more than almost anything that comes after.
1:07.2	In this episode, I walk parents through exactly what to say in that moment,
1:10.1	how to handle sleepovers and conversations about sex,
1:11.9	and how to support your child,
1:16.5	especially if your community isn't fully accepting. You don't need to have all the answers.
1:21.5	You just need to know how to show up. In honor of Pride Month, we hope this one reaches every family that needs it. One of my favorite things about this podcast is that we talk about things that might not necessarily affect your own child, but it creates awareness for your community and how you can deal with things. But there's a lot of people grappling with this about how to support a child who comes out as being gay. Yeah. No, this is something that is part of family life for a lot of families. And it's something that you want to do a really good job with as a parent. It's such an important issue to talk about because even if your child isn't going through it, like I said, it really helps to know what other parents are dealing with and what works to support other families. So this is a letter we got, Lisa. That says, my amazing 13-year-old girl confided in me that
2:02.4	she's by, maybe lesbian, and has a crush on a girl. I told her that, of course, I support her
2:07.2	100% no matter what, and that I'm so glad she felt comfortable enough to tell me. She does not want
2:13.2	to tell her father or anyone else in the family yet. She's not as close to her dad as she is with me,
2:18.8	though I'm completely confident he will be equally supportive. However, this is new territory for me,
	...

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