“It felt like I was living a double life. ‘Let’s talk about it more tonight at home, okay?’ I said ‘okay’, and shut the door. Half an hour later, she texted me.”
‘We pulled up to the entrance. I got out of the car. ‘Mom, I’m gay.’ Puzzled, she said, ‘Why are you telling me this now?’ Young man’s harrowing experience coming out to his family
‘The kid never leaves home without his purse. He spends his money on makeup, and loves all things pink and sparkly.’ Mom supports her 10-year-old non-binary son and ‘all his fabulousness’
“By the time my son reached Pre-K, there was no denying he was truly one fabulous little guy. People have asked me for years if Sam is gay or transgender. My response? ‘Sam is a child, and if I have anything to do with it, he’ll be a happy one.’”
‘I plan to finally tell my homophobic parents I’m gay and transgender. By that time, they can’t do anything about it!’
“I asked him if he would come to the hideout so we could talk. No adult knew about it. He met me there, and I told him I was gay. ‘I don’t want to date a guy, that’s disgusting!’ I was devastated.”
‘Are you a boy or a girl?’ My daughter responded with the craziest look on her face. ‘I’m a girl!’ I knew she was gay. I always knew she was ‘different.’
“By the time she was 4, her tomboy phase became something different. I remember getting her ready for school. ‘Mom, I want to dress like a girl today!,’ she said. I went out to the living room and told my husband to ‘not make a big deal about what she was wearing.’ He was her protector.”
‘Do they know about me?’ I wondered. ‘What will happen if they find out?’ The only sin you can commit worse than murder is same-sex attraction. I prayed my feelings would go away.’
“I was 14 years old, sitting in Sunday school class when I heard those words. I remember what I was wearing, where I was sitting, the teacher’s blue tie – every detail about that painful 60-minute class. I lived in fear. Then HE came along.”
‘I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,’ he said, ‘but she is not pregnant. I just saw her at a family gathering last week.’ I felt sick to my stomach. With shaking hands, I called my wife.’
“A 19-year-old commented on our photo: ‘Hey, message me, it’s important.’ My heart skipped a beat – could this be good? I dialed as quickly as possible. ‘From the moment I saw you, I knew you were meant to be his moms.’”
‘In 2 weeks, you will meet the love of your life. And when you do, you will know it.’ But then came a warning. ‘You must do the right thing, or you will be cursed.’ He winked, and walked away.’
“That’s when our eyes met. It was like time stopped. It was like the music on the dance floor silenced, and all I could hear was my own heartbeat. I still remember what the room smelled like. I couldn’t look away. I was frozen. This was him. I knew it, and felt it, from my head to my feet.”
‘I’ve been called the ‘F’ word, queer, mental or ‘needing to get my plumbing checked out’ because I am gay. I ran for mayor. I don’t want to be thought of as that ‘gay dad.’
“My husband and I wanted to adopt a child of our own. Little did we know we would get two children instead of one. Elected officials even had city staff bully my family as I was running for mayor.”
‘I put it in his hands,’ he said repeatedly, crying and rocking back and forth. I was frozen in shock. The police thought he found my father’s ‘medicine’ in the back of his truck.’
“My heart was beating out of my chest. I didn’t know what to say or do. I silently got up and left. That was the last time I ever saw him.”
‘I asked, ‘Are you okay?’ We were greeted with one line. ‘Twins. Congrats.’ We immediately hopped on a plane. We were told to spike their bottles with caffeine. There were roadblocks.’
“We found a surrogate. The doctor started to gush about how lovely she was! ‘You have to woo her and make sure she picks you guys!’ Communication was sparse. We were constantly checking emails. I’ll never forget my husband kneeling as he opened one eagerly awaited message. He stared at the computer screen, speechless.”
