The tone of the conversation really depends on your relationship with your parents. Are you close? Do they have a good sense of who you are and what you like? If your answers to both these questions are “yes,” the conversation may be relatively more straightforward than if the answers are “no. " If you don’t have the best relationship with your parents, you may need to have more foundational conversations with them about who you are and who they know you to be.
“Mom/Dad, I wanted to talk to you about my preferred pronouns. I’d really appreciate it if you addressed me as (your preferred pronouns). I hope you understand that this is very important to me and I hope that you use my preferred pronouns from now on. "
Try and teach them about the LGBTQ+ community, and it isn’t bad to be a part of it. Tell them that you’re still you and still their child. Tell them that you’re still like any other human being on this planet and haven’t changed negatively.
Remember that just because they are your parents do not be that they are exempt from the law – if they cross the line and become abusive, do not hesitate to call law enforcement.
Remember, it really doesn’t matter if your parents support you or not. Only you know who you truly are. Nobody else can change you. As long as you accept yourself, nothing else matters.
