The birds and the bees talk with LGBTQ teens

Chicago [United States], Apr. 6(ANI): Talking to children about 'the birds and the bees' may be hard, but it is even more difficult when it comes to educating LGBTQ teens about the sexual health.

A study conducted at the Northwestern University examined parent's attitude towards talking about sexual health with their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer teens (LGBTQ).

The study reported that parents face many challenges which include general discomfort with talking about sex with their children, as well as feeling unequipped to provide accurate advice about what constitutes safe LGBTQ sexual practices.

One parent reported feeling isolated in handling talks about dating and sex with her gay child.

"Having a healthy and supportive relationship with parents is one of the strongest predictors of positive health outcomes in teens, and this is true of both heterosexual and LGBTQ teens. Many parents and their LGBTQ teens want to have supportive relationships with one another, so if we can design programs to strengthen these relationships, it could have a tremendous impact on LGBTQ teens' health and well being", said lead author Newcomb.

It was also stated that many of the gay and bisexual male youth wanted to be closer to their parents and to be able to talk about sex and dating.

The study is published in Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. (ANI)