Welcome to The Proud Path

This is about your child’s happiness

The Proud Path is the key to Pride for families with LGBTQ kids (spoiler alert: every family has LGBTQ kids).
Pride is hard to find while you’re holding a million questions.
Pride is hard to grasp onto without knowing what you’re looking for.
Pride is hard to feel when someone else needs us to be strong, but we’re afraid.

Being proud shouldn’t be a luxury, but for so many people, finding true pride in their identity is a struggle. That is true for everyone, not just LGBTQ people. Pride comes from self-worth. Pride requires support. Pride takes work. Pride comes when we truly know who we are, and we show that person to the rest of the world.
Ask yourself, “am I proud of my LGBTQ child?” and “is my LGBTQ child proud of themselves?”

What is The Proud Path?

Education. Support. Planning.
All just for you, designed to bring you closer to your awesome kid.

Teach Me All the Letters!

Knowledge is power, and to protect your LGBTQ child, you need to be mighty powerful. With our free online materials, you can hone the confidence you need to lead your LGBTQ child to pride from your own home and on the go.

One-on-One Coaching Time

The Proud Path strengthens your knowledge with coaching. An outside voice serves as a guide map for you to follow as you navigate uncomfortable conversations and learn new ways to understand and support your child.

You saw this said FREE right?

It’s actually, totally, really, 100% free. The Proud Path is about teaching every parent, every family, how to support their LGBTQ child, regardless of their finances. The Proud Path’s coursework is made free through donations from The Proud Path Foundation.

When my elementary school-aged child told me that she was transgender, I had so many questions and felt I needed assistance in navigating school issues, social issues and safeguarding my child’s mental and emotional well-being. A friend put me in touch with Nathaniel and The Proud Path and so began my journey towards better education surrounding LGBTQIA+ issues, better support, helpful resources, sage guidance and so much more. Nathaniel has been a guiding light, a compassionate advocate and a knowledgeable source of information. His astounding knowledge and understanding of the issues that our LGBTQIA+ youth are experiencing today, makes Nathaniel Gray an incredible advocate, mentor and counselor. We are very grateful to have Nathaniel by our side on our path to pride.
Lilly Schulz

Proud Mother of a Proud Trans Daughter

Why go it alone? We can figure out how to support your child together!

Trying to figure out exactly what your going to say and how you’re going to support your child will take a lot of time on your part. You’re their parent, and you will be forever. They need your support and unconditional love, but what do you need? I’m glad you asked!

I have helped parents just like you do so many things. I’ve heard your questions, I promise. Here are just a few that I’ve got the answers to:

“What does pansexual mean?”

“Why do there have to be so many letters? What do they all mean anyway?”

“Should I just pretend like everything is normal? How will they feel?”

“How can I help my child transition at school?”

“What will I tell her grandparents? How do I explain this to them?”

“Did I do anything wrong?”

“Can you help me figure out what to do next?”

“How do I have ‘the talk’ with him? What should he know for his own safety?”

“Can he really be so sure about this at his age?”

“What should I have said when they came out? What do I still need to say?”

The Epidemic of LGBTQ Youth and Self-Harm

This part isn’t fun to write. The sad truth is, this isn’t just an issue of understanding LGBTQ kids or staying up-to-date with terms. The Proud Path’s founder, Nathaniel Gray, is an expert in how it can go wrong for LGBTQ kids. While getting his Master’s in Social Work, Nathaniel worked exclusively with LGBTQ youth who were actively homeless in New York City. He devoted all of his research and clinical focus to understanding this phenomenon. Why were they homeless? By and large, because their families didn’t accept them and either kicked them out, or they ran away. Their stories still live with him every day.

%

The percentage of all youth who identify as LGBTQ

%

The percentage of youth in foster care youth who identify as LGBTQ

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The percentage of homeless youth who identify as LGBTQ

Nathaniel is also the proud recipient of a first-of-its-kind fellowship to work with the New York State government, informing decision making for LGBTQ youth in various systems of care. The through-line that Nathaniel has found in his work is a story of affirmation. If a child’s parents simply affirm them; if a child’s parents just use the name they request, or listen about the boy that they like, their risk for all of the ugliness above plummets. This part still isn’t fun, but it’s important.

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The percentage of all youth regardless of LGBTQ identity who consider suicide

%

The percentage of LGBTQ youth without an affirming adult who consider suicide

%

The percentage of LGBTQ youth with an affirming adult who consider suicide

Why is The Proud Path the solution?

The Proud Path isn’t a hoax. The courses really are free. The coaching time is low-cost. This isn’t about making money, it’s about fixing families; it’s about supporting children; it’s about helping you become affirming;
it’s about saving lives.

The Proud Path doesn’t just seek to educate parents on vocabulary and spectrum. The Proud Path is a shift in how we look at LGBTQ children. The Proud Path is a journey, not a quick-fix. Start the courses today, take that single step, and you’ll feel closer to your LGBTQ kid tonight.

All courses are hosted on a cutting edge e-learning site with interactive materials, videos, worksheets and more!

You’ve always supported your child’s happiness.

What does that support look like now?

How can The Proud Path help?

What’s that one question you need answered?

No gimmicks, I want to know your most pressing question right now so I can answer it.

Subscribe for updates!

The Proud Path has a lot in store! Signing up will keep you in the loop about future Proud Path materials, including blog posts, curriculum updates, and the long-awaited Proud Parent Workbook!

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