Lez Keep It Real

Today’s Come Out & Play post spotlights telling your parents.

Of everything that I have learned about the world of coming out, there is one thing that is the most consistent. The anticipation of a parent’s reaction. Whether it’s Mom, Dad or both - it’s always the same. We expect the worst. We fear the worst. And sometimes, it’s so much better than we could have ever expected.

Other times, it is far worse.

I was lucky. My experience in telling my parents was far better than I could have ever imagined. When I had the conversation with my mother and father, I expected my mother to freak and my father to be OK. Well, that’s the way it went - at first. Then my mother was more than OK and my father had his turn to freak out. All in all, it was a positive experience because they continue to love and appreciate me to this day. I was never disowned or kicked out of the house. I was never told that I was going to go to hell. I was never told that they couldn’t accept it.

All I was told was that they needed time. And I understood that. Just as I needed time to come to terms with it myself, my parents needed time to adjust and come to terms with it themselves.

Time passed.

And now, my being gay is a non-issue.

I truly believe that telling your parents is the hardest thing in the world to do. To this day, it is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. I know that I am blessed to have their love and support, as I have found that there are countless others who do not have the same.

I found a video on YouTube from SoGayTV, which was a Canadian gay-themed talk show. Though the show is off the air, I thought this clip was worth resurrecting. Host Jason Ruta scours the streets to ask unsuspecting participants, “How did your parents react when you told them you were gay.”

Some of the stories are funny, and some are down right appalling. But, they are all true.

How did your parents react when you told them you were gay? Feel free to share your experience below.

Don’t forget about the Lez Keep it Real Contest!

Tune in every Friday for the Come Out & Play series, featuring coming out stories of celebrities, every day people, personal reflections, advice, tid bits and everything else concerning the complicated world of coming out!

Got an interesting coming out story to tell? Contact me and I will feature it in an upcoming post of Come Out & Play.

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