About Rainbow Roots
This Work Was Born From Love (and Loss)
Rainbow Roots began the way many real missions do:
Not through branding, but through necessity.
Hello! I’m Kathleen - A cisgender, heterosexual widow raising LGBTQ children after nearly a decade of compounded grief: the loss of my parents and family members, the death of my husband to COVID, the disappearance of extended-family relationships rooted in ideology rather than protection … all while continuing to show up as a mother in a world that often feels unsafe for queer kids.
I didn’t set out to become an advocate. I set out to be the parent my children needed and quickly learned how many parents were standing where I once stood:
Loving fiercely.
Feeling afraid to say the wrong thing.
Conflicted by faith, politics, or family pressure.
Grieving the loss of what they thought parenting “would be.”
Trying to do better than what they had been taught, without models for how.
Rainbow Roots exists to meet parents exactly in that space.
Rainbow Roots is also not designed to host debates about whether LGBTQ people deserve dignity or safety. That question is already settled here. We will not platform harassment, dehumanizing language, misinformation, or anything that places ideological comfort above child well-being.
What “Awkward Ally” Actually Means
When I say “Awkward Ally,” I mean parents who are brave enough to keep showing up before they have the words perfected. You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay because what you’re doing is rooted in love and any faltering is considered “falling forward.”
An awkward ally is:
A parent who chooses protection over polish
Someone willing to learn publicly rather than wait to be perfect
A caregiver who prioritizes safety over comfort, including their own
A person who believes love is proven through action, not slogans
Awkward allyship is not aesthetics or performance.
It is the unglamorous, daily work of:
Listening even when you feel defensive
Learning when the lessons are uncomfortable
Holding boundaries when others disagree
Choosing your child when culture pressures you not to
Why This Work Is Parent-Centered
Rainbow Roots does not place emotional labor on queer youth.
Children should never have to explain their humanity or safety to adults.
Parents carry adult responsibility here.
This platform exists because parents deserve:
Guidance without shame
Clarity without political theater
Education that respects faith struggles while protecting kids
Tools for having brave conversations
Permission to learn out loud without being publicly punished
And queer youth deserve:
Adults who show up already prepared
Homes that are emotionally safe sanctuaries
Advocates instead of mediators
Our work bridges the gap between love and action so kids don’t have to.
What We Teach
Rainbow Roots teaches parents how to translate love into daily protection through:
Conversation scripts for difficult family & church dialogue
Boundary-setting frameworks for extended family conflict
Education on emotional safety & mental health risk factors
Grief-informed parenting support
Tools for navigating faith tension without abandoning children
This work is not political. It’s parental.
Our Philosophy
At Rainbow Roots, we lead with three grounding truths:
Love is a verb.
Words matter, but actions save lives.
You don’t have to understand everything to protect your child.
Understanding grows through safety, not the other way around.
Boundaries are acts of love.
If a dynamic harms your child, protecting them isn’t cruel. It’s courageous.
We believe growth belongs to people who keep trying, not those who perform moral perfection.
About the Founder
Hey there! I'm the mom behind Rainbow Roots. I’m a Gen X widow raising LGBTQ kids with humor, grit, and a commitment to learn beyond fear. I don’t hold a Ph.D., but I bring something just as powerful: Lived experience, deep compassion, and years of raising LGBTQ+ kids with love, advocacy, and joy.
My background includes:
10+ years of Catholic school education
A lived bridge between conservative family culture and affirming parenting
Grief leadership forged through personal loss
Advocacy rooted in relationship, not ideological warfare
I hold both:
Drag Race fluency and trauma-informed parenting frameworks
We use pop-culture humor and real emotional-safety parenting tools together to connect with parents and teach them how to show up for their kids.
Spiritual meaning-making and accessible real-world language
We talk about deep emotional and spiritual questions using everyday, human words; not therapy-speak or religious jargon.
And I believe deeply that:
Parents do not need to become activists. They need to become protectors, teachers, and steady emotional leaders in their children’s lives.
That is the heart of Rainbow Roots.
Who Joins Our Community
Most parents who join us are:
Grieving parents and widowed caregivers
Faith-adjacent families navigating belief tension
Single parents building support where extended family no longer exists
Parents who want clarity without condemnation
They aren’t radicals or extremists. They’re ordinary parents who refuse to lose their children to fear or silence.
What Makes Rainbow Roots Different
Rainbow Roots is:
Lived experience, not theory
Trauma-informed, not disciplinary
Parent-oriented, not youth-burdening
Action-centered, not performative
Compassionate, without compromising protection
This is not an influencer brand. It’s a quiet movement of parents choosing courage over comfort.
If You’re Reading This
It means something in you already wants to protect better, and that is enough to start. You don’t need to have your language perfect before joining this work. You just need the willingness to grow, to listen, and to choose your child every day.
Walk With Us
When you’re ready, you’re invited into our weekly newsletter:
LOVE IS A VERB
A gentle, steady companion for parents raising LGBTQ kids with courage and compassion. Inside you’ll receive:
Parent support without shaming
Clear scripts for hard conversations
Tools for setting boundaries with love
Emotional regulation & grief-informed guidance
No political bickering or moral grandstanding. Just real support for the hardest, most important work parents will ever do.
Welcome to Rainbow Roots
Where nobody has to be perfect, only present.
