Reply #7: It depends on many factors, but generally speaking no.

[Meldread]

I really hate it when the Fundamentalists bring out their kids to their awful protests, have them holding signs and chanting. All I can think is, "What happens if one of those children grows up to be gay? What will they think when they look back on this?" Then I think about the awful things they are teaching their children.

As for gay families, I don't think a gay family should stop living their life for the rest of the world, regardless of how others feel. If they want to go to the park and let their children play, then yes there might be risks involved, but they have every right to do that. However, taking a young child to a protest or a gay pride parade, in my opinion at least, is a bit much. I wouldn't even consider doing such a thing until the child is at least 14 or 16 years of age, when I know they have a full grasp - or at least a very firm grasp - on the situation and how others feel. Mostly, my intent would be to shield the children from the bigotry of others. It's an impossible task to do it forever, but if I can shield my child from it as best I can - in the early years of his or her life - it's my hope that he or she will have at least a few years of innocence. Later on, however, toward young adulthood I'd want to teach my child that it is his or her duty to become involved in civic politics. It's an important value that I want to pass on, and having them active in LGBT issues is critical, because at the end of the day we are family and even if the children are straight themselves LGBT issues effect them directly.

So, I suppose it just depends. It depends a lot on the maturity level of the children involved. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on what they will be exposed too, and it depends on what will be happening. A parent can't rationally shield a child from reality forever, even though I think most good parents would like to try. However, it is important for a parent to do everything they can to prevent their child from being exposed to something that will emotionally scar them, cause them unneeded pain or suffering, and keep them out of situations with a lot of "unknown" factors that they can't control.