[ReachOut.com]
[Mike and Colin]
>Mike. Hi my name is Mike and I’ve been with Colin for ten years, in September. So - doing quite well. 

>Colin. We have two children.  We have Jax who is 13 and Maple who is three-and-half. Our kids, you know, Jax’s known about my sexuality since he was three. But also Maple, she knows she has two Dads but we didn’t want us, to have the media as perceiving us as different. 

>Jax. I’ve been brought up like that and I‘ve just been so aware of it my whole life.

[Sally Morris, National MindOUT Project Coordinator with the National LGBTI Health Alliance] 
>Sally. My name is Sally, Sally Morris, ummm, and I’m the National MindOUT Project Coordinator with the National LGBTI Health Alliance. If you are an LGBTI parent, you are an LGBTI person and you have children. Even though your children may not be LGBTI they are still impacted by these conversations that happen around them. They may not be LGBTI themselves but they can still be targeted by bullying and harassment and homophobia at school. 

[Things to try: check in often, build a strong foundation at home, allow your children to define/be themselves, be open and honest.] 
>Colin. Like I ask. A lot. Like I will always say to Jax, do you get bullied at school? It’s not to kinda of see, if he is being bullied about you know, personal appearances, it is generally about, you know, his life at home and his situation at home.
>Mike. It’s at home as well. So directly at home. So, you know, your own home environment, ensuring that you instill a really good structure, like you would any other family. Like you’ve got the discipline and the kids are still ensuring the kids are themselves at the same time. But then if you kindof family network around that as well, everyone is really close and really, really open and honest with everyone. So that is kinda like the piece that we see is being ummm, probably  our key.
>Jax. My Mum and her husband and their child, like we are all, sort of, basically one whole family. Like, we may not all be related, but it’s the way we treat each other and the way we respect each other and all that. 

>Sally. Because media has this sense of we always need to provide a balanced argument. Sometimes the negative voices, even though they might be a minority, get just as much airtime as the positive voices which might be the majority. So if we’re seeing portrayals of stereotypes and stories that reinforce myths and debates that are quite negative and divisive we also know that everyone else in my community is seeing those same stories. And, that they will be influenced by those stories, they will believe those stories to be true regardless of whether that is real or not. So it really does have quite a large influence in shaping community values.

[On marriage equality…]
>Mike. It’s just amazing how one simple subject that is just, just, here and it’s around and it’s going to stay around and its gonna become more and more aware. You know, people will find more and more excuses as to why it is wrong or why it should be hidden.
>Colin. It should just be about human equality, human rights essentially. 

>Sally. It’s really important to have those conversations with our young people about why are these conversations happening in the world around us. What are these debates? And start talking about well, what are some strategies that they can do to minimise the impact of some of those things.

>Colin. It’s not something that we say that, you can’t ask that thing ‘cause you are too young.
>Jax. Talk to your parents about it. And like ask questions. You know, make it so you feel more comfortable.  Cause that would really help so you  feel supported.

>Colin. Maple, being three-and-a-half, that we’re kind of doing baby-steps with her. Like she knows she’s got two Dads. We rehearse that in books, that you know, kindof give her that smaller introduction of, you know like, same sex couples, same sex Mum and Dad. 

>Sally. I think it’s really important for LGBTI people to be connected with other LGBTI people. You can talk  about issues that are relevant to our community, but sometimes also not. To just get together, and be, and to  know that you aren’t alone in these experiences. You are not the only  ones experiencing what you are experiencing. 

[Connect with other parents in our community forum, forums.parents.au.reachout.com ]

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