Loving Our LGBTQ+ Kids Group

Loving Our LGBTQ+ Kids Group

Are you the parent of an LGBTQ+ child? You may be brand new to this journey or on this path for years. If you want to connect on Zoom with a group of Canadian parents who love their LGBTQ+ kids, we'd love to hear from you. Several parents from the Bridge Church participate in this online support group.
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Vision:

To provide a supportive community for parents with LGBTQ+ kids.
To explore ways to bring faith, sexuality and gender together. (We are mainly from Christian backgrounds, often from a church culture that is not welcoming of our children).
To provide a community relevant to the Canadian church and cultural context, dealing with priorities and issues pertinent to Canadians.

Goals:

To make the meetings and chat room safe for all participants regardless of how they are processing the LGBTQ+ question.
To provide a way to network with parents in the same region or in similar situations.
To allow each participant an opportunity to share their joys and challenges without pressure to talk.
To maintain confidentiality and promote respectful dialogue, even when differences arise.

What to Expect:

We meet only on Zoom. After short introductions, we usually listen to a parent (individual or couple) share their journey with their LGBTQ+ child. Then we break into small groups to discuss what we heard and share our personal situations as we feel comfortable. We meet for 90 minutes the first Tuesday of every month.

Personal Testimonies:

Received support from parents living a similar reality to me and my family. The group has been my only source of understanding, a way to find my footing, and also with people who have lived the Christian evangelical culture that I have. (R.B.)

At my first visit, I just felt like "These are my people. They speak my language!" I also appreciate that the leaders make sure to touch base with everyone in each breakout group. It keeps talkers like me limited but not feeling shut off and allows those less likely to put themselves out there an opportunity to be heard as well. (M.N.)

I love that it exists, and that it is a place for connection for people who may otherwise feel like they are alone on this journey. I enjoy the small group discussion times and hearing other people's stories. I think it is helpful that you keep things to a concise time limit as sometimes Zoom can be tough to focus for long periods of time (D.H.)