What’s it like being told your mother is a lesbian? New documentary explores parents coming out
Attitudes to LGBT people have thankfully evolved and improved in recent decades, especially since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality back in 1967.
One “side effect” is that many people are coming out later in life, and sometimes to their children.
While so much of the discourse about coming out to family revolves around telling your parents about your sexuality, what happens when your parents come out to you is a very real issue for many people today.
It’s a topic explored in a new documentary My Lesbian Mums, which you can watch now in full on iPlayer and YouTube below.
“What is it like being told your mum is a lesbian?” asks the programme makers.
“That happened to Jillian 20 years ago, but have the decades since made it easier for parents to come out to their children?”
They continue: “Jillian speaks to her two mums, her brother and two of her step-sisters to discover how they coped with their mums coming out.
“She also meets a recently married gay couple to ask how their children coped with being told dad is gay.”
Jillian Stewart told BBC Newsbeat: “Twenty years ago my mum came out as a lesbian.
“I was only four at the time so it wasn’t such a big deal for me.”
She added: “I’ve learnt from my parents that it was a bit more difficult for some of my older siblings, so I wanted to speak to them about what it was like.
“And I also wanted to find out if it’s any easier now for parents to come out.”
Watch the full My Lesbian Mums documentary below:
