05/21/2026
When 15-year-old Laurel decided to come out to her parents, she did it the only way that felt right: she baked them a cake. She left it on the kitchen counter with a pun-filled letter that read:
"I'm gay. I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I thought doing it this way would be a piece of cake. I hope you still love me. I mean, it's hard not to love someone who baked you a cake. All my friends know and still love me. Your acceptance would be the icing on the cake. I hope you, much like this cake, are not in tiers. I hope we can look back on this and say 'boy, this one really takes the cake.' It gets batter."
Laurel posted the photo to Tumblr and went to her room to wait. Her dad came in, hugged her, and laughed. Her mom, she later wrote, "saw it and cried of happiness. We hugged and cried together. Then, we all ate the cake and talked. I am very lucky to have such supporting parents."
On this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Laurel's story is a reminder of what parental love and acceptance can mean -- and why it matters so much. The Trevor Project's 2024 national survey of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people found that 39% had seriously considered su***de in the past year -- including 46% of transgender and nonbinary youth. But the same research consistently shows that acceptance is one of the most powerful protective factors there is: LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted su***de at less than half the rate of those in unaccepting ones.
A supportive family, a safe school, and the simple knowledge that you are loved for who you are can make a life-saving difference. Laurel was lucky enough to have that. Not every LGBTQ+ young person does. And that is exactly what we all have the power to change.
--> For parents of LGBTQ+ children looking to offer the kind of support Laurel's parents showed, PFLAG offers resources, support groups, and community: https://pflag.org
--> If you or someone you know needs support, The Trevor Project provides free, confidential crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ young people 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 or https://www.thetrevorproject.org
For uplifting middle grade books about Mighty Girls navigating coming out and finding themselves, we recommend "Candidly Cline" (https://www.amightygirl.com/candidly-cline), "The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James" (https://www.amightygirl.com/mighty-heart-sunny-st-james), and "Drum Roll, Please" (https://www.amightygirl.com/drum-roll-please), all for ages 10 and up
For more books for children, teens, and their parents that foster acceptance and understanding of LGBTQ people, visit our blog post, "True Colors: Mighty Girl Books for Pride Month," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12258
For books about Mighty Girls who stand together for acceptance of all people, check out our blog post "60 Mighty Girl Books About Standing Up for Others” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13481
