The European Commission has funded a two year project “Family Matters. Supporting families to prevent violence against gay and lesbian youth” the aim of which is to prevent violence against lesbian and gay youth by supporting their families.

The project will be run by four partners: the Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” (Dipartimento di Ricerca Sociale), families’ organizations in Italy (Agedo - Associazione Genitori di Omosessuali), U.K. (FFLAG - Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gay men) and Spain (Ampgil - Asociaciòn de padres y madres de gays y lesbianas).

Why study and support families of lesbian and gay young people? Lesbian and gay youth are frequently deprived of support and role models within their families, therefore they are more vulnerable, less likely to accept themselves, and more exposed to forms of violence like bullying or sexual harassment as well as self-harming. At the same time, families are left alone to face their own difficulties in accepting the homosexuality of one of their members, and in supporting her/him against the discrimination and violence she/he will meet outside.

While there has been research and support for gays and lesbians in Europe there is a lack both of direct knowledge of families’ attitudes and suitable strategies of intervention designed for them. That is the gap that the project “Family Matters” wishes to bridge.

In Italy a national survey (with self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews) will be conducted by the Department of Social Research of the University of East Piedmont with the support of Agedo. In Spain, Ampgil will collect public sector good practice for families of homosexual young people while in the U.K. FFLAG will similarly survey the voluntary sector.

Education and information material (a documentary-video, a manual, a web-site) will be produced with the aim of supporting families to become themselves a source of support for youth facing the difficulties of self-acceptance, social stigmatization and homophobic violence. Together, young people and their families can make an important contribution to building a society free from violence and prejudice.