The Inspiration for A Father's Pride
Like many gay men born into religious households, I got married and had four children before finally coming out. In the past few years, my two oldest sons have also come out as gay. To my surprise, even as a gay man, I struggled with how to best guide my gay sons. I looked for resources, but there really weren't any. Fortunately, I have a great husband and circle of friends who offered words of advice to pass on to my oldest boys. This experience inspired me to seek additional wisdom from gay men, with the intention of sharing it with gay youth and their fathers through A Father's Pride.
A Father's Pride is focused on the relationship between gay male youth and their fathers. This project is filtered through the lens of my experience as the gay son of a straight dad and my experience as the dad of two gay sons. While I believe that all human beings have many things in common, I also believe that focusing on experiences that are most similar to mine will help this much-needed project be successful.
Initial feedback on the project has been overwhelmingly positive. Older gay men have penned amazing advice, sharing their experiences. Younger gay men have commented on how useful some of the advice is -- and how touched they are that the community they are growing into cares about their happiness and success. You can make a difference by sharing your advice, and pointing gay youth and their dads to the wisdom that's been collected and shared on the blog.
A Father's Pride is focused on the relationship between gay male youth and their fathers. This project is filtered through the lens of my experience as the gay son of a straight dad and my experience as the dad of two gay sons. While I believe that all human beings have many things in common, I also believe that focusing on experiences that are most similar to mine will help this much-needed project be successful.
Initial feedback on the project has been overwhelmingly positive. Older gay men have penned amazing advice, sharing their experiences. Younger gay men have commented on how useful some of the advice is -- and how touched they are that the community they are growing into cares about their happiness and success. You can make a difference by sharing your advice, and pointing gay youth and their dads to the wisdom that's been collected and shared on the blog.
A Focus on Youth
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The LGBTQ community has made tremendous strides in the past few years. We are protected by federal hate crimes legislation. Don't Ask Don't Tell is a thing of the past. Marriage equality is the law of the land. In most states, we are protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. There is still work to do, but we have made tremendous progress.
These victories were possible, in part, because we were visible. Our visibility influenced LGBTQ youth to come out sooner, with an average age of 16, as opposed to an average age in 20s or early 30s a few decades ago. While they come out earlier, many LGBTQ youth struggle. LGBTQ youth are four times as more likely as straight youth to attempt suicide. A shocking 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and bullying continues to be a serious problem, with 30% of LGBTQ high school-aged youth missing one day of school per month because they feel unsafe. These are big problems, and solving them will require a multi-faceted approach. It is my hope that A Father's Pride will allow gay youth to see themselves as part of a broader community that is pulling for their success. And, it will help straight dads better relate to their gay sons. |
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About The Editor
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Klint Kendrick is the creator and editor of A Father's Pride. He is the father of four children, two of whom are openly gay. His oldest son is attending college in Washington State. His other three children live with their mom in the Pacific Northwest. Klint and his husband, Scott, live in the Seattle area.
Since coming out, Klint has been an advocate for LGBTQ youth. Klint has volunteered during Pride Foundation's Scholarship Interview Days. He has also donated professional services and raised money for Camp Ten Trees, a summer camp that creates a loving and engaging youth camp environment for LGBTQ communities and their allies. In February of 2014, Klint testified in front of the Washington State Senate's Health Care Committee as they considered a ban on conversion therapy for children under 18. His testimony included his personal experiences going through therapy designed to change his sexual orientation. He also asked the Senators to consider the long-term effects of this discredited "therapy" on LGBTQ youth. Unfortunately, the bill was killed by the committee's Republicans, acting on a strict party-line vote. Klint holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where he also earned an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with an emphasis in Diversity. He also holds an MBA from California State University Dominguez Hills and a BS in Business Administration from Eastern Oregon University. He has worked in Human Resources for nearly two decades, where he works to fulfill his personal mission of empowering people to live happy and successful lives. |
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