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Penn will study ‘intervention’ for parents to communicate to gay sons

Parents of “gay or bisexual adolescent sons” can learn how to “improve communication” through a taxpayer-funded program at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Ivy League school’s nursing program received $3.3 million from the National Institutes of Health for its “Parents ASSIST” “intervention” initiative, according to a news release.

But the program has come under scrutiny from a pro-family advocacy group.

“We are thrilled to receive this support from the NIH to address a critical need for families with adolescent sons who happen to have same-sex attractions, behaviors or identities,” Professor Dalmacio Flores stated in the news release.

The nursing professor teaches classes on “Contemporary Issues in Human Sexuality” and “LGBTQ Health,” according to his faculty bio.

“We believe that this intervention can help families navigate the challenges associated with coming out and create a more supportive and inclusive environment for gay or bisexual male youth,” Professor Flores said. “By improving communication and providing parents with the information they need, we can help to reduce disparities in mental health and other outcomes among this youth population.”

The College Fix reached out to the researchers and the nursing department but has yet to hear back on emails sent in the past month. The Fix asked about the motivation for the study, how it fits into the mission of the nursing department, and if researchers would examine potential harmful effects of homosexual sexual activity.

The American Principles Project, which promotes family values, criticized the program.

“Now, with left-wingers ascendant in our federal bureaucracy, they seem to have no qualms pushing their own sexual ideology on the rest of the country,” Communications Director Paul Dupont told The Fix via email. “This program is a good example.”

Dupont added that regardless of how the study is framed, taxpayer dollars should not be directed to a politically motivated study because if the study produces an intervention, it could be used to facilitate parental support for a child’s sexual orientation.

“This initiative will encourage ‘intervention’ in families, presumably to prod parents into supporting their children’s sexual exploits, perhaps even if those parents have moral concerns,” he said.

“Even worse, American tax dollars will be used to fund this endeavor,” he said.

The National Institutes of Health regularly funds studies based on racial and sexual identity, as The Fix has reported.

For example, researchers received $200,000 for a “transgender voice training” app, as The Fix reported.

The NIH spent $136 million on racism and medicine related studies in fiscal year 2024, according to a Fix analysis.

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