Being a sibling is a big responsibility. Whether you’re older, younger or the same age as your sibling, there’s a lot of work that you’ve gotta do in order to have a good relationship with them. And as an older sibling who has done this twice now, I can confirm that having them come out to you is one of the biggest responsibilities.
I am a member of the LGBT+ community myself, so I remember the absolute horror, anxiety and stress when I decided to come out to my siblings. I wanted more than anything to be accepted by them, since I was the first one in my family to come out. They welcomed me with open arms and it meant the world to me.
Now, I have to be those open arms. And so do you. My younger siblings came to me in confidence and bared their souls to me and our responsibility as siblings of LGBT+ people is to be everything they need us to be and more. We need to be their champion, their support system, their best friend. The world will not always be kind to them, so it’s up to us to be there for them when it isn’t.
There’s going to be days when they feel the weight and stress of being LGBT+ and all that that entails in today’s culture. So, we’re going to have to be their strength. Let them have a shoulder to cry on, but also someone to lift their chin up and tell them to keep going. Check up on them. Make sure they’re dealing with everything going on in a healthy way. Give them time to express their feelings and work with them through problems they’re inevitably going to face.
Of course, there’s no right way to do this. Only your sibling knows exactly what they need and only you know the best way you can support them. The biggest thing, above anything else, is just to be there. A support system is essential for LGBT+ people to survive and thrive. Everyone’s queer experience is different, but the one thing that is consistent is support. That’s your responsibility as a sibling.