Table 1.

Overview of Lead with Love film content and rationale

Segment 1: Depictions of parents (and grandparents) from four ethnically diverse families telling the story of how they learned that their child was LGB and describing their honest reactions of pain, grief, and concern.  Rationale: In order to make parents more open to our subsequent recommendations, we first wanted to relate to them and communicate that we understood their struggles. This segment of the film contained no youth or experts, only parents, and provided no guidance or advice, consistent with motivational interviewing approaches to meeting clients where they are in their own process of change.

Segment 2: Parents and experts explain the realization that their initial negative reaction to having an LGB child resulted from misinformation they had learned throughout their lives. Parents and experts (i.e., psychologists, teachers, clergy) then provide factual answers to parents’ most common questions.  Rationale: This segment served to facilitate parents’ insight into the true nature of their distress concerning having an LGB child (i.e., misinformation). Parents in focus groups reported needing answers to specific questions about homosexuality and indicated that having misinformation corrected was an essential part of coming to accept their LGB child.

Segment 3: Emotion-heavy stories about LGB youth who suffered while coming out and information regarding how parental rejection is associated with youth suicide, depression, and substance use.  Rationale: Parents want to raise healthy children. Highlighting this common goal and connecting it directly to parents’ behaviors can build the motivation necessary for behavior change.

Segment 4: Four concrete behavioral recommendations are described by experts and illustrated with families’ stories. Behaviors are summarized using the LEAD acronym: (1) Let your affection show, (2) Express your pain away from your child, (3) Avoid rejecting behaviors, and (4) Do good before you feel good.  Rationale: Providing concrete guidance with behavioral modeling is an essential piece of other film-based behavior-change interventions.

Segment 5: Families describe where they are currently – each in a unique place of acceptance with an ongoing healthy relationship with their successful children.  Rationale: Provide hope that with appropriate parenting, children can be happy and successful, and families can remain connected.