ohh man, this hits me in the heart, it was the same with my father.

I think we can all relate to this moment...

Yikes, y'all must've had rough childhoods if you think everyone can relate to that.

Yeah... those guilt trips hit hard... :/

At first I didn't understand who he was but then I looked back and realized it was the capitol h He and nowni feel dumb for not realizing it the first time

I had a few friends that had parents like that, most where okay with it after a few months or a year after they talked about it and gave it some thought. Only had one friend who's crazy religious mother went apocalyptic. Father divorced her and moved out of the crazy house with his son, turned out the dad was secretly Bi :)

ugh conservatives!

pretty sure he's just a hardcore christian... but yeah it sucks.

They sorta/kinda are of the same ilk.

"Here. Take this book that was written by PEOPLE. Translated several times. Rewritten. And then mass produced. Question nothing. Because what I believe is right and what you believe is wrong."

God doesn't give a damn what we do. In the Bible it clearly states that God loves ALL of his children. And the opinions of MAN is what made same-sex couples a taboo.

Ugh. Religion.

You are so right about that. It was MAN that thought homosexuality was a Sin, when there is nothing in the Bible that says that. What it says is about Pedophilia, slavery and Shrine Prostitution. I've studied those 6 Clobber passages and It only briefly mentions certain sexual activities such as rape, child prostitution and sex slavery are taboo. Nothing does it say "Two men shall not become one flesh nor shall two women become wives." Marriage is not about sex anymore, it is about friendship everlasting love. That is what Gay marriage represents the most. Two men should have the right to love their best friend forever. And they can reproduce, surrogacy or adoption. Anything is possible.

I think that's a perfectly realistic reaction in many cases-- not too fanciful and not too hard-hitting. Seems like a 'reasonable' reaction, all things considered. Very well presented!

I pray every night, thanking God for my gay lover and the sex that we have almost every night.

ahh the old toxic religious guilt trip.
i would have burned that thing in front of him and cut ties at that point.

Eeeehck over religious parents YAY

oof.......that hits....close to home

Jesus christ's teaching are supposed to promote inclusiveness and compassion
Not hate and bigotry

When not the angry dad is the worst........ ;/

I guess that could have gone worse.

This hits me so hard. I still am not brave enough to tell my parents that I'm pan.

I can fully understand that. I'm also pan, but when my parents caught me with my first boyfriend, they blew up like a nuke. Kept tabs on everything I did for three years before they finally loosened the chain. They think I'm straight "again".

As far as I'm aware and from what others have told me, the bible doesn't say anything against being gay. If it weren't a natural thing, 500+ animal species wouldn't practice it. This doesn't even mention the whole gender-swapping of many species either. But yeah, my grandmother on Dad's side is an ordained minister, strict Christian. I had to block them on my social media for pushing these sorts of things on me.

Genesis 19
Leviticus 18 & 20
Romans 1:18 - 32
1 Corinthians 6:9 - 10
1 Timothy 1:8 - 10

There is a good bit of it in there: depending on which flavor of the bible you're reading the wording may vary but the message is more or less "This shit wasn't intended" and "seriously stop doing it," were the general vibes. This kind of shit unfortunately, if you're a staunch, militant, conservative Christian who cherry-picks passages to suit their needs is plenty ammo.

Ah well, I guess it's a good thing I don't keep to it. After all, it's been the most edited and revised book in history to meet the ever-evolving views of current worship.

"But you know that HE doesn't approve of that."

Actually, I'm pretty sure HE-MAN is A-OK with gay stuff.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been in this position. Its Evil for parents to treat their own, or anyone for that matter, in this way.
I am thankful to my parents for giving me a secular upbringing and being so understanding and unchanging in how they view and love me.
I only wish everyone could have access to that growing up. And I hope that humanity can move beyond this mindset.
Very well written. The body language is also very telling. These two things dont often come together in art, but I think you nailed it. :)

I'm so glad his father didn't do they whole stereotypical "fire and brimstone for being gay" speech.

I'm a christian and I get sick and tired of that stereotype. Hown
his father handled it is the right way for and christian parent who's child comes out. No disowning, no putting down, no disgust.

I feel so seen now. >.>

im lucky in regards to while my grandfather was a Lutheran pastor, my family is also very accepting of LGBT so this never was an issue since there was no conflict with family or religion. I just have a bible because its still my faith.

i would have lit it on fire in front of the man :D

Actually it was He that helped me to accept myself just as He made me.

I do mean this.

And boy, am I happy that He created me gay.

How many lives would be so much more guilt free and actually so much more happy if people just understood this.

My parents (also me and my sister) were in a spiritualist religion that didn't accept homosexuality (can you believe it?), and my father was a master and also representative of that unit, the highest authority there.

Now, try to imagine my situation, I should be seen as an example by his followers, so I was unhappy, I thought that I was wrong. I even dated women (tree times), and had sex with them, I had to learn to find a way to do that even if I was (sorry, but this is the proper word) discusted with the sex. "Luckily" as a teenager it took but a gentle breeze to give me a boner, today I can't understand how I managed to do that.

Being a caring person, in the tree cases they fell in love to the point of wanting to marry me. In the tree cases it was the point when I ended the relationship. In the tree cases I saw how they suffered, and I felt miserable myself, to be causing that suffer.

After the third break up I saw clearly two options for my life: pretend to be hetero, living a lie and never being a proper partner for a woman, lying to her about it, which I think would never endure and would not be fair with her nor with me... OR... I would be myself, accept myself and be happy.

Once those choices became clear to me there was no choice anymore: I had to be myself. The choice was never being gay or not, it was to lie or not, to others and to myself. This was God showing me the proper way and teaching me.

So one day I called my father and said to him I had to talk with him about something very personal. I was not afraid, I was terrified, but I wouldn't allow an argument for I was not giving any options.

Many are shocked with the fact that I decided to tell first to my father. This is how strong our friendship is.

He told me to get into the car so we could talk privately. Without driving, just to talk. And then I said:

Dad, I want to tell you something. I don't want your permission nor opinion, I am just notifying you. (short pause exchanging weird looks). I feel attracted by men, not by women.

My father then looked through the glass, to the horizont for a moment, and finally he looked in my eyes and said: "This changes nothing, I will always love you the same way". (I told you our friendship is strong).

A while later I noticed he told my mother, then I told her too, and the answer was the same. As for my sister, she never agreed with prejudice, she was the easiest to tell.

Today almost all my relatives know. My grandfather (father of my mom, the other died before I was barn) died this year, and I am happy that he knew about me before dying. He loved to make jokes about it and we laughed together.

Today I have had lots of gay sex and a few relationships (one of them lasted for about ten years living together), and I am looking for a partner for life, and having fun meanwhile.

Shortly after I told my parents they (we all) quit that religion. We remain spiritualist, but through study and practice, not by fanatism nor religion.

I spent my childhood and teen age sad and I lost lots of opportunities too, I also felt the proper point of maturity in me and in my parents to tell them at the right time, but I didn't regain the lost time.

However, my nephew is two years old now, and I am glad to know that he will be teached to be himself, instead of being this or that.

I'm glad your experience and story was a good one with a happy ending, not many people get such a welcoming and friendly reception to coming out and proceed to break relationship with family and loved ones because of it.

Thanks for sharing your story, buddy :)

I am actually kinda chill with the father's reaction. Sure it's not ideal but it's actually very close to being. Cause he believes what he believes and tells his son to pray. He didn't disown him or anything.

I know it sucks and all but here we have a man who genuinely believes his son's bery soul is in danger. So as sad as it is, it's still an act of love if ya keep that in mind.

I could also be way off the mark here but it's just my humble opinion.

My atheist ass: *burn the bible*

Went about as well as when I came out to my dad. Which was better than my partner who's dad up and abandoned him. Religion is fucking great.

That went...... well.

ah shit noo :( was not expecting the big sad!