We here at Bored Panda are celebrating this year’s Pride Month with another edition of wholesome pictures. We’re featuring awesome parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles who proved they love their LGBTQ+ family members no matter what. Love is love, right? So check out the most inspiring and heartwarming pics of family members supporting their LGBTQ+ folks. And warning – you might need a tissue if you’re an easy crier like me. Bored Panda reached out to LGBTQ+-affirming Therapist Lisa S. Larsen, PsyD. She kindly agreed to tell us more about the role that family plays in an LGBTQ+ person’s life. She also offered some possible coping strategies for queer individuals who have been rejected by family members. Read her expert insights below! “Unfortunately, members of the LGBTQ+ community also face minority stress, in addition to the usual challenges of daily living. When our own families reject us, ridicule us, or disrespect us, we may not know where to turn. It is a lonely experience to believe that we don’t belong anywhere and that even our own family would turn [their] back[s] on us.” Larsen says it’s important for families to understand what it means to be LGBTQ+, accept their queer family members, and love them unconditionally. Just as they would a cisgender or heterosexual child. “Unfortunately, some ultra-religious families cannot accept their child’s gender identification or sexual orientation,” she says. “I have even seen young people get kicked out of their families’ homes with nowhere to go.” Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
