The Incredible Te Story Of Two Gay Dads And Their Divg Champ Son | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• THE HEARTBREAKG TE STORY OF THE GAY TEEN AND HIS DAD BEHD ‘JOE BELL’
• ‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD
• A GAY DAD AND HIS SON
• GAY DADS AND A SON WHO THOUGHT HE WAS GAY
• THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS
• NGHTY GAY STORI 2: USED BY MY DAD'S FRIENDS
• THE INCREDIBLE TE STORY OF TWO GAY DADS AND THEIR DIVG CHAMP SON
• THE GAY FATHER I NEVER KNEW
• NGHTY GAY STORI 1: SLEEPG WH MY SON'S BT FRIEND

THE HEARTBREAKG TE STORY OF THE GAY TEEN AND HIS DAD BEHD ‘JOE BELL’

In April 2013, Joe Bell left his home La Gran, a small town the northeast rner of Oregon, to walk across the untry honor of his 15-year-old son, Jad, who had died Febary a few weeks after attemptg and his wife, Lola Lathrop, told lol and natnal news outlets at the time that Jad was bullied for beg gay, both onle and at school. He was the only out gay stunt at La Gran High School. In addn to beg the only out gay stunt at his school, he was also the only boy on the cheerleadg squad, and Bell told Salon 2013 that he was bullied for said he uld relate to Jad and his story, bee he was also bullied growg up Texas.

19, 2010, Seth Walsh, a gay 13-year-old livg Southern California, died by suici after beg bullied. Three days later, Tyler Clementi, a gay stunt at Rutgers Universy-New Bnswick, killed himself after beg rerd on a webm kissg another man.

‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD

Heynen planned to photograph for a book of photography featurg gay fathers and their children. ”Amerin culture has not been particularly starved of imag of gay fatherhood, particularly recent years.

Celebri like Anrson Cooper have helped normalize the ia of gay men raisg children, and no longer feels revelatory to see them on televisn, as did when “Morn Fay” premiered mon, Mr. Heynen said, are imag of gay fathers who aren’t Instagram ready — like two men bg their dghters’ hair or tossg a football the ont yard.

It’s an unrstandable impulse, which he attribut to a sire among gay parents to feel “normal” after havg their pabili as parents ntually lled to qutn.

A GAY DAD AND HIS SON

Heynen said, but rather a celebratn of the day-to-day liv of gay Jt for the YoungCly Rose, 61, and Ryan, 12Cly Rose, who liv Manhattan, was first photographed for “Dads” three years ago after meetg Mr. Heynen at an event at the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgenr Communy Center New York Cy.

Heynen “a lot of cred” for cludg a father like him — a sgle dad his 60s — sce he said there is often a lack of reprentatn of olr gay people art and media, which tends to foc on young, f men. As a Black, gay man raisg a son on his own, Mr.

Stt Takacs, a 46-year-old and father of three, penned a personal say about his experience g out as a gay man to his sons. There wasn't much of a plan, no guibook hand, only goals that I hoped my boys would start the procs of unrstandg and acceptg their dad for whom I tly was: a gay Stt TakacsIt had been a long 15 months sce g out to my wife, an experience I unfortunately wouldn't scribe as posive, fun or somethg I ever want to repeat. Wh many emotns and strs, I accepted her requt to keep the reason for our divorce -- due to me beg gay -- a secret for at least another year.

GAY DADS AND A SON WHO THOUGHT HE WAS GAY

Chigo offered the stabily I need a job, iendship and at this pot, a new relatnship that all ntributed to my healg this new gay world.

Homosexualy wasn't a topic well discsed our fay.

THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS

Gay iends were jt iends -- rpected but their relatnships not necsarily discsed.

Gay marriage was the news, but not discsed our hoe other than the ocsnal negative ment om a close relative. In many ways, a lovg place for them, but I me to realize that teachers spoke openly agast gay culture and textbooks labeled homosexualy as sful and evil. My kids listened and followed their prr to g out, was hard for me to hear my kids e home wh stori of teachers gradg gay marriage or gay people, to see their workbooks, rercg the bias agast beg gay.

The last thg I wanted was for my kids to be treated differently bee they had a gay dad, which I felt was a the year followg my divorce, I agreed not to tell the kids I was gay, so I had to be reful. We were reful to avoid referenc to "gay" discsns and plac, although I lived the Gayborhood of Chigo, an upsle, predomantly gay area on Chigo's North Si.

NGHTY GAY STORI 2: USED BY MY DAD'S FRIENDS

He was a few years ahead of his brothers beg doctrated by his school agast homosexualy. He was fiant at tim and generally embarrassed about his gay dad.

THE INCREDIBLE TE STORY OF TWO GAY DADS AND THEIR DIVG CHAMP SON

Eventually, though, that started to four years, my olst son's iends knew he had a gay dad, and, to put teenage terms, wasn't so bad.

THE GAY FATHER I NEVER KNEW

I thk he unrstands beg gay isn't a choice anymore, and I believe that will ex-wife certaly bore the bnt of the day-to-day wh the kids. I helped start a group for gay fathers Chigo and has shown me that there are other gay fathers ahead of me their g-out journey wh posive experienc to share.

NGHTY GAY STORI 1: SLEEPG WH MY SON'S BT FRIEND

In late 1980, at a support group for gay fathers, my dad met Lnel –– the man wh whom he would spend the next 23 years.

He had seemed kd of lost his new life – phg 60, recently divorced om my mother, recently out of the closet as gay man.