Gay teens are often interested in dating and falling in love. For some this works out really well, but not everyone is ready for a romantic relationship. Here's how to tell whether you are!

A lot of teens, both gay and straight, have parents who think they are too young too date. This can be really frustrating for adolescents, but what if they are on to something? Is it possible that not all GLBT teens are ready for a romantic, not to mention, a sexual relationship?

If you are trying to figure out if you are ready to date, here are some things to consider:

Self Esteem and Confidence

Self esteem and confidence are biggies. If you have a tough time standing up for yourself with friends, imagine how much harder it might be to assert your needs with a romantic partner. For example, if you are dating someone, low self esteem and a lack of confidence can allow for situations where you find yourself unable to say no to sex, or say yes to types of sex play you aren't comfortable with. It can also mean that you have less power in the relationship and don't have an equal say about what you do, who you hang out with, or how much time you spend with your partner.

Values and Morals

Though the terms values and morals are often thrown around, clarifying how you feel about certain issues is really important. It is easy to get swayed by a partner's views when you fall in love. However, you will be on far more solid footing if you have figured out your own position on things like, substance use, following your parents' rules, sex and even the importance of school.

The Effect on the Rest of Your Life

It's a fact that most high school relationships do not last forever. So think about how dating might impact those relationships that you hope will be there for a long long time. Also, consider how dating might affect your school work, teams that you play on, or your part time job. Relationships can take a lot of time, and time is something not all teens have enough of!

Being Openly GLBT

Being out about your sexual orientation is not a prerequisite for dating, but it sure can be helpful! Dating can be hard enough on its own, but if you feel that you have to keep a relationship secret from those around you, things can get even more complicated. (There are different problems if you are out and your partner isn't). Look ,plenty of people who aren't publicly out about being GLBT date all the time. But a lot of teens find that dating complicates the already challenging issues related to coming out .

Do You Have Support

When teens think about dating, most focus on the relationship between a couple. And while that makes sense, it also pays to think about who you would turn to if thing got ugly. Or even if you just needed support during a break-up, or if you need to debrief whether going to a movie with the cute bi girl from your English class counted as a date or if it was just hanging out. Can you talk to your parents about relationships and dating? What about another adult in your life, or a friend or older sibling? Though relationships can be a great comfort for a teen who is feeling like they don't have support in place, sometimes you need support for your relationship issues as well!

Though you might be interested in dating and falling in love, not all GLBT teens are ready for a romantic relationship, and waiting until you are ready can be a really good way to make sure that the relationships you have are safe and healthy ones!