How to Respond When a Relative Misgenders Your LGBTQ+ Child at a Holiday Gathering[DAY 5]

DAY 5

MORE HUMAN MOMENTS FOR THE MOST WONDERFUL (AND COMPLICATED!) TIME OF THE YEAR!

12 Tiny Rebellions to Counter Holiday Chaos

You're at the holiday table. Your child walks in. A relative misgenders them on purpose. The room freezes, your heart races, and you feel that internal tug between protecting your child and keeping the peace.

In this holiday capsule episode, Heather Hester shares a grounded, loving framework to handle this common but painful moment with grace. You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, speak up with clarity, and model fierce allyship without fueling the fire.

You’ll walk away with:

• A 3-step response formula: Pause, Protect, Pivot
• Grounded language to correct misgendering without escalating
• A powerful Breath of Safety ritual to calm your nervous system and release shame
• Journaling prompts to support your courage and confidence in real time

Your Strategy: Prepare one neutral corrective sentence (e.g. “We use they/them for Riley”) + a pivot phrase (e.g. “Let’s move on”)

Your Ritual: Try the 3-part Breath of Safety

• Inhale: My love protects → Exhale: Shame is not mine
• Inhale: My clarity guides → Exhale: Their reaction is theirs
• Inhale: We belong → Exhale: We are okay

Journal Prompt: What does courage look like for me in moments like this?

💌 For deeper allyship support, visit heatherhester.net or share this episode with a fellow parent, advocate, or LGBTQ+ ally navigating similar territory.

Hi, I’m Heather Hester, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Become a private client

Invite me to speak at your workshop or event

Receive a free excerpt and reflection guide from my book, Parenting with Pride.

Share More Human. More Kind. Please subscribe, rate, and review!

Connect [e-mail]

Buy Me A Coffee

Watch on YouTube

Listen to *NEW* episodes every Tuesday and Friday!

At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to compassion, authenticity, and transformative allyship, especially for those navigating the complexities of parenting LGBTQ+ kids. Through this podcast, speaking, my writing, and the spaces I create, I help people unlearn bias, embrace their full humanity, and foster courageous, compassionate connection.

If you’re in the thick of parenting, allyship, or pioneering a way to lead with love and kindness, I’m here with true, messy, and heart-warming stories, real tools, and grounding support to help you move from fear to fierce, informed action.

Whether you’re listening in, working with me directly, or quietly taking it all in, I see...