A Study of Seventh-day Adventist Parents and Their Responses to Their LGBTQ+ Child’s Coming Ou

In 2016, a team of researchers from Andrews University conducted a study of how Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) parents experienced the coming out of their LGBTQ+ child, the subsequent changes in family functioning, and how families restored equilibrium when disrupted by the coming out. The findings reveal a picture of a group of people who faced difficult and painful situations and resiliently worked to maintain and restore strong family relationships. These findings speak to the strength of Adventist families when facing what they, at least initially, experienced as adversity.