[Article] Study: Northern Ireland needs better support for mothers of gay sons

MarcusGarvey

http://uk.gay.com/headlines/6510

Northern Ireland is suffering from an absence of support networks for mothers of gay sons, according to a study that is set to be published for wider reading across the province.

According to Cathy Falconer, mothers who are looking for guidance or answers after their sons come out are faced with a brick wall across Ulster, which has seen recent accusations of homophobia.

She said that personal experience when her own son came out led her to conduct the study as part of her MSc in Guidance and Counselling.

“My son, Barry, was 17 when he told me he was gay. That was four years ago. I was totally devastated. I was literally falling apart,” Falconer said recently.

“I didn't know any other mothers whose son was gay. I had nowhere to go to for advice. I was basically just left on my own to get on with it.

“That was the reason I started doing the research. The mothers I talked to were all brilliant, and they were very very glad to talk to me. When I interviewed them, I found that everyone of them had gone through something similar to what I had.”

She said similar questions that arose across all mothers included those related to health, as well as issues about how other family members would react and whether the son's sexuality would restrict future happiness.

It was only when dealing with such issues together did the student realise the majority of these emotions were based on "erroneous stereotypes".

“I was just devastated for him - what he was going to have to face? All the mothers I interviewed as part of my research felt like that.”

Now the study is set to be re written in a reader friendly format and published across the province by Guildhall Publishing, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

“Lack of information is the big thing that has to be tackled. Proper support services would help do away with the stigma and misconceptions about gay people. Access to that kind of information by mothers - who do so much to hold the family together - is vital," Cathy says.

The book is likely to be published this autumn.

MarcusGarvey

Anyone know of any National Support Groups for parents of gay kids in Ireland ? I think there may be local ones in Dublin, are there any others ?