Christmas can be tough if you’re not partnered or part of a nuclear family: the ads show a family life you don’t have while every shop seems to be playing It’ll Be Lonely This Christmas on a loop. As Owl Stefania writes in Metro, it can be particularly hard for LGBT+ people. Stefania’s writing specifically about trans people here, but much of what she says applies to the wider LGBT+ community too.

…not everyone is as lucky as I am and Christmas, a time when most people go home to see their families, can be especially tough for trans people. Many trans people have been disowned simply for being themselves, while others face serious rifts at home.

I have other trans friends who simply can’t spend Christmas with their families because their families don’t want them there or they don’t feel understood. And some of those who do go home feel forced to play a role that isn’t really them to appease their family or to make them feel comfortable.

A few days ago I linked to a survey in which more than 1 in 10 parents said they wouldn’t be comfortable having their child live with them if their child was LGBT+, something that contributes to the disproportionately high proportion of young homeless people that are LGBT+.

Stefania:

If you know a trans person who is estranged from their family, please offer them support and check in on them. And if you’re someone who is struggling with accepting a family member who is trans, please set your reservations aside and embrace them – they need you.

And if you can’t be part of the solution, please don’t be part of the problem.