I had the pleasure of being invited yesterday by Ian Daniels to the fabulous new Pride Center at SDSU for photographs and filming to be used at the up coming YES (Youth Empowerment Summit 2014). And I was honored to meet some of the fabulous young activists trying to make this world a better place and explain things to us parents and allies.

As a parent of an lgbtqi young person I learned something new yesterday, thank you Lou!

If you are unsure of your child’s gender identity eg. male or female or gender neutral (you know how do they see themselves as, feminine, masculine…)

You can ask a simple question like this:
What pronouns would you like me to use for you?

(He, him, his or she, her, hers or them, they)

This is acceptable and used in meetings and name tags and makes a a possibly painful, uncomfortable and difficult moment for your child that may not appear to look like their gender less painful, uncomfortable or difficult. And it’s ok if you make a few mistakes at first, as long as they see that you are trying.