Happy PRIDE month!

Happy PRIDE month!

Spokane Virtual Pride has been running since Monday June 6, and will wrap up tomorrow with a DRIVE FOR PRIDE AND BLACK LIVES!

Website Event Graphic

Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ Pride Month is going virtual for three days of speakers, performances, and activities with Gender Justice League, Seattle PrideFest, and Seattle Pride for the “Together For Pride” weekend.

Why is this foster-related?

LGBTQ kids end up in foster care for all the same reasons as all kids do, but they also sometimes end up in foster care because their family can’t accept them. All foster parents should be ready to care for children of any sexual or gender identity and be a supportive, accepting home. Sadly, we haven’t reached that point – Terry Scraggins, a former foster youth, lived in more than twenty placements and never saw any open support for the LGBTQ community. He reports that one study found that LGBTQ kids are twice as likely as straight cis children to have their first foster placement ask for their removal.

Like Terry, foster kids may not be out – either because they are still learning about themselves, or because they don’t feel safe enough. As a straight foster parent, you may know that your kids sexuality won’t change your support for them – but does a child entering your home know that? Consider these suggestions to make your home a welcoming one, whether or not a youth in your care openly identifies as LGBTQ.

DCYF recognizes that LGBTQ foster children have specific needs, and that their right to privacy and dignity must be actively protected – including by obtaining their verbal permission to disclose their LGBTQ+ identity to other people, including parents and placement agencies.

And one way to make sure there are foster parents ready for LGBTQ kids entering a placement is for LGBTQ adults to be there!

Looking for support, as an LGBTQ or allied foster parent, or for your foster child?

Western Washington

Fostering Together runs an online support group for foster families including LGBTQ parents or children – they also have a great page of resources such as PFLAG and the PRIDE Foundation.

Lambert House runs [temporarily] online support groups for LGBTQ+ & ally youth age 11 – 22 (with parental consent for 11 and 12 year olds).

In normal times, Amara holds in-person support groups for LGBTQ families.

Eastern Washington

Conference Sponsors

Previous slide
Next slide
24/7 support hotline
Foster Families
Family Time Network
Visitation Services

All Family Time related inquiries

Upcoming Events

march, 2024

Search
Small Donations, Bigger Impact

Support Families Helping Families

become a Friend of FPAWS