[BBXX]

Originally Posted by Beso

Thanks. Very interesting read.

But kids at a pride event would mean the parents taking them along, so surely it would.mean the parents think they are gay, and not so much the 8 yr old.

No not necessarily, lots of straight people attend pride events - many families just go for a day out. Perhaps the child asks to go, perhaps a 13 year old goes with their friends, perhaps with older siblings

However, it is often the case that some parents do have an inkling their child might be gay - these are often based of stereotypes like having an effeminate son or a tomboy lesbian - obviously not to say all effeminate boys are gay but stereotypes do exist for a reason, so often it’s the case they are - and so maybe a parent uses pride as a way to show the child they’re okay with homosexuality without explicitly saying “if you are gay that’s fine”. I know if my parents had a thought I was gay (they didn’t but let’s say they did) and suggested going to pride just for fun, I would definitely remember it as a signal they were fine with LGBT people and it would reinforce them as a “safe space” in my mind.

The first person I told was gay I wasn’t even that close to, I just remembered them telling me years prior a story in which she mentioned her male friend had gotten a boyfriend, and so I marked her down in my head as someone who it would be safe to tell.

I think it’s things like that maybe straight people don’t take into consideration just because they don’t ever have to. Children who come to the conclusion they might be gay often take note of many seemingly fleeting moments to decide who might take it okay and who might not when coming out - comments said in passing about famous gay people, jokes made, etc …. Over time. They probably don’t even ever remember saying it, but I do.