Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy. I'm Amy McVee Allabest.

The Dalai Lama once said, once your mind is calm and full of love, there is no room for hatred or fear.

Others will trust you because of your open heart.

This quote opens the book, Parenting with Pride, by Heather Hester.

And it resonates deeply with the mission of breaking down patriarchy.

And yet finding access to that calm and loving perspective isn't always easy,

as much as we try to be centered and accepting.

Sometimes unexpected challenges appear,

and we don't know how to move forward at all,

let alone with a calm mind and an open heart. Today we're going to talk about one of those

unexpected plot twists in particular, finding out that your child isn't cisgender or isn't straight.

The challenges faced by LGBTQ youth are tremendous, and we've

talked about these challenges multiple times, and we'll continue to talk about them. But today we're

going to look instead at the challenges faced by the parents of these amazing kids. After all,

no child comes with an instruction manual. And sometimes parents of LGBTQ kids are left flailing,

trying to understand and embrace their children, but without guidance, and trying to keep them safe

in unfamiliar waters. Fortunately, however, there is support out there, like this fabulous new book

that I just mentioned,

Parenting with Pride, Unlearn bias, and Embrace, Empower, and Love, Your LGBTQ Plus Teen by

Heather Hester. And I'm very happy to welcome Heather to the podcast today to talk about these

unique hurdles faced by these parents and also how we can all learn to be better allies in supporting queer youth and their families.

So thank you so much for joining us today, Heather.

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