Family Support

Who do you think of as your family? Is it only your relatives? Most people have a lot of friends and colleagues, and would consider these as important to them as their immediate relatives! Family is important! We all need our families, large and small. We rely on each other, care for each other, love one another. Family is precious to everyone, even to LGBT people.

In the links below you will find information on some of the services provided by The Rainbow Project and our partners in HEReNI and Cara-Friend related to LGBT people and their families including support for same sex parented families, support for gay and bi dads and support for families of LGBT people. For information on support for lesbian, gay and bisexual mothers please check out our partners at HEReNI

Sadly the funding for the project has ended, however some services remain in place such as the Facebook group. Our Same Sex Family Project in conjunction with HEReNI was a social and support service for same sex parents and their children. Our families came together In Belfast, Foyle and Newry for social gatherings, day trips as well as providing learning workshops. The Same Sex Family Project provided LGBT parents with the opportunity of socialising and learning with other same sex families

The Family Ties Project is a support service for the families of LGBT people. We provide monthly meetings for parents and other family members to come together, to chat with other families in similar situations and to share experiences of when a loved one comes out, we also offer one to one support, help and guidance.

The Gay Bi Dads aims to provide gay and bisexual men, who may be married, or who are still not out, with a safe and confidential space to meet with other men in similar situations. Our group provides support and advice on coming out; managing family life as a gay or bisexual man as well as providing an opportunity for you to talk openly and safely about being either a gay or bisexual man.