Many of Earll's concerns are shared by large numbers of people in society. Protecting families is very important. About one person in ten is a member of a sexual minority. The chances of having a gay, lesbian bisexual, or transgendered child is about one in ten. Any parent has a significant chance that one of his or her children will be queer.

Parents need to protect their children from the time the child is born, until that child is capable of making informed decisions and living independently. Protecting your children means making sure you develop the attitudes and strategies that will help a straight child accept gay, bisexual and transgendered people, and that will help a gay, bisexual and trans-identified children survive and blossom in a world that is often hostile to queer and questioning youth.

A few important things that help protect children include the following:

• Decide to love and cherish your child, regardless of the child's sexual orientation or gender identification.

• Determine to never make fun of gay, bisexual or transgendered people.

• Refrain from telling jokes that put down any queer people.

• When there are news articles about gay, bisexual or trans-identified people, tell your children that God loves gay, bisexual and trans-identified people, and that you will love your children if they are gay, bisexual, or transgendered.

• Check out your church. Make sure your church is a congregation that emphasizes from the pulpit, from the Sunday School classroom, and from the pastor's office God's love for gay, bisexual, and trans people. Should messages of condemnation be a theme, start looking for a church will better love a queer child.

Protecting your family is very important. As a parent, you are responsible for providing a safe environment for your children, including the child who may come to you and say, “Mom, Dad, I have something important to say. I'm gay.”