Twenty-two years ago, I asked my dad if he was gay. Then he was gone.

Contents:

• GAY FATHERS FACE STIGMA AS PARENTS
• GROWG UP WH A GAY FATHER – CONFSNS OM A STRAIGHT SON
• HOW I ACCINTALLY FOUND OUT MY DAD IS GAY
• THE GAY FATHER I NEVER KNEW
• LBIAN DGHTERS-IN-LAW, GAY SONS-IN-LAW, AND THE IN-LAWS
• 10 THGS YOU’LL ONLY KNOW IF YOU’VE GROWN UP WH GAY PARENTS

GAY FATHERS FACE STIGMA AS PARENTS

S., many gay men and their fai still experience discrimatn and are stigmatized by relativ, neighbors, salpeople and other members of their muni, a study suggts.

GROWG UP WH A GAY FATHER – CONFSNS OM A STRAIGHT SON

Creatg fai has gotten easier over the years for gay men. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage natnwi 2015, advancg legal parentg rights for same-sex upl wh almost two-thirds of gay fathers experience stigma based on their stat as homosexual dads, and half of them avoid suatns out of fear of mistreatment or discrimatn, the current study children experience stigma, too.

One-third of gay fathers said their kids were stigmatized by other children, and one five dads said their children had avoid formg iendships out of fear of mistreatment or discrimatn. “Legal protectns today are much more expansive than they were a ago, which turn means that the stigma faced by gay fathers - and, by extensn, lbian mothers - should be ls than the past, ” said Brian Powell, a soclogy rearcher at Indiana Universy Bloomgton who wasn’t volved the study.

HOW I ACCINTALLY FOUND OUT MY DAD IS GAY

“But the protectns are not universally provid across all stat, ” Powell said by the study, rearchers surveyed 732 gay fathers wh 1, 316 children 47 stat.

Rearchers ranked stat based on how many legal protectns they offered to gay parents that vered thgs like marriage, civil unns, domtic partnerships, adoptn, child ctody and anti-bullyg surprisgly, gay fathers were more likely to report stigma affectg their liv stat wh fewer legal protectns.

THE GAY FATHER I NEVER KNEW

Fai stat wh more legal protectns for gay parents were more likely to be formed by surrogacy, while men stat wh few legal protectns were more likely to bee fathers through heterosexual relatnships, the study fathers reported barriers to beg parents. About 41 percent had difficulti wh adoptn and one-third enuntered problems arrangg ctody of children born heterosexual study n’t prove whether parentg stat or sexual orientatn directly impacts discrimatn, and wasn’t natnally participants were whe, and ’s also possible that gay fathers om other racial or ethnic groups might report different experienc, Dr. Ellen Perr of Tufts Medil Center Boston and lleagu wre so, the rults unrsre that legalizg gay marriage the U.

LBIAN DGHTERS-IN-LAW, GAY SONS-IN-LAW, AND THE IN-LAWS

“The fdgs suggt that stigma persists for gay fathers, who reported experiencg the most stigma relig stutns, rtrants, and om neighbors, ” Raifman said by email. “In stat wh ls equal rights, gay men who wish to bee fathers may be ls likely to be able to bee a parent and those who do bee parents are more likely to experience stigma directed toward them.

He revealed that his wife’s father thereafter started makg sexual advanc at him, addg that he nfirmed that the man was gay om the way he was socializg wh people at the party. That day when I saw him socializg I he was Gay, om his body he’s gtur, he was a different man I know.

10 THGS YOU’LL ONLY KNOW IF YOU’VE GROWN UP WH GAY PARENTS

He go on to reveal that he’s also a gay person but bee he wants kids, he went on to marry his wife but wh the affair, he feels like his father--law is seemg to be his soulmate. "Cue gay screamg.

This is lerally the plot of roughly 40% of gay Guardian's advice lumnist Pamela Stephenson Connolly didn't have a hopeful outlook for the future of the anonymo man and his hopeful DILF--law.