Elements that Contribute to a Conducive Environment for Coming Out as LGBTQ+ and the Relationships Among Them

Abstract

As identifying as LGBTQ+ becomes less stigmatized, there is an increased need for support to these individuals as they are developing their identity. To support these individuals at home and in the community, it is important to understand what types of supports are most beneficial. Thirty-five adults participated in a 35-item survey that asked them to report their perceptions about the time they were growing up, specifically about the level of parental support they received, and their parental figures’ values and beliefs and political views. The survey also asked about the geographic location in which they grew up. The purpose of this study is to explain the relationship among these variables and how they explain the variance in the age that members of the LGBTQ+ community decide to come out. The results suggested that individuals in the Southeastern region of the United States indicated their parental figures promoted particular values and beliefs less strongly than parental figures in the Northeastern and Western regions of the United States, and practiced religion more often. Parental support was found to be lowest in the Western region of the United States. The results of this study can be used by family therapists and counselors, schools, and communities to better support individuals belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.