'Return the key': the parents who reject their gay children | Society | The Guardian

Contents:

• 'RETURN THE KEY': THE PARENTS WHO REJECT THEIR GAY CHILDREN
• DAVID DAVI SAYS MOST PARENTS DON'T WANT A GAY CHILD, BUT I WANT ME
• PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE
• PARENTG A GAY CHILD
• 'ACCEPT' AND 'TOLERATE' MY GAY KID? THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH
• LETTERS TO THE EDOR: I’M GAY AND DON’T WANT TO PATRONIZE BIGOTS. THANKS, SUPREME COURT
• FOR GAY MEN, HAVG A BLOGIL CHILD N BE PLITED

'RETURN THE KEY': THE PARENTS WHO REJECT THEIR GAY CHILDREN

That’s how I feel’The armageddon refers to his mum’s strong Jehovah’s Wns beliefs about the sfulns of homosexualy. ’”Chris, sadly, isn’t alone his story of parental fa of equalyAt the time I terviewed him, a Brazilian mother who killed her teenage son for beg gay is sentenced to 25 years prison. Celebry stori of heartbreakg parental rejectn are also November, the Amerin thor and producer Robyn Crawford released a book nfirmg she had had a romantic relatnship wh Whney Hoton – but had to abandon out of fear of the repercsns om Hoton’s by Oprah Wey if would have bothered her if her dghter was gay, Cissy Hoton said “Absolutely.

DAVID DAVI SAYS MOST PARENTS DON'T WANT A GAY CHILD, BUT I WANT ME

“She even worked Brisbane’s gay bar, ” Chris says. Many of the straight parents I terviewed for When Your Child Is Gay: What You Need To Know exprsed havg felt disappotment learng that their child was LGBT.

Would he be fired at his job if his supervisors found out that he were gay?

Would he have to live a gay-iendly neighborhood? Natalie, 63, a mother om Long Island, found out that two of her three children were gay. " Natalie felt that was a loss to the fay geic pool and kept wonrg if beg gay was a choice.

PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE

Richard Ogawa of Seattle figured out he was gay llege.

PARENTG A GAY CHILD

Richard told me, "Perhaps if every parent toyed wh the possibily that any of their children uld be gay, would change the way they raise their children. Gay children are no different—so ltle of their sexual orientatn has to do wh who they are as a whole.

"It is rare to work wh parents of a gay child who have not stggled wh the feelg of loss at some pot the procs of acceptg their child as gay, " my -thor, Jonathan Tobk, M. Parents feel sad that their gay child has lost the possibily of havg a life whout signifint difficulty. " Yet Tobk has found that "gay people tell you they are happy wh who they are and feel that they have emerged on the other si of g out as strong, sensive, and rilient dividuals.

'ACCEPT' AND 'TOLERATE' MY GAY KID? THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Havg a gay child is not a loss of a child altogether. A Conservative MP has claimed "most parents" don't want their children to be gay.

Certaly not me; if he had, I'd have told him I like havg a gay son so much I thk everyone should have Davi's prumptn that he knows what I feel about my child is startlg. I'm not sayg havg a gay son is better than havg a straight one – I've got a uple of those and very nice they are too – but I refe to accept Mr Davi's proposn that 's worse. Parents value their children for all sorts of quali – que often, on a day-to-day basis, to do wh how much washg up they do – and their sexualy is rarely the most 's assertn was meant as a ntributn to the marriage bate, although 's hard to see how he thought was relevant bee gay marriage don't produce gay children.

If you don't want gay children, that's the one you should get rid the wild generalisatn ont, I thk I n say wh rather more thory than Davi that "most parents" want their children to be happy and have opportuni to take their place the world. And I like havg a gay child so much that personally, I'd wele another one. I'd be thrilled to get a gay son--law.

LETTERS TO THE EDOR: I’M GAY AND DON’T WANT TO PATRONIZE BIGOTS. THANKS, SUPREME COURT

Preferably one who'd remd my son to rg his mother a b more 's rather herent objectn to gay marriage also asserts that would affect sex tn (why? Though if did, that would be a very good thg, parent-of-gay-child-wise. And I'm sure my younger straight children have benefed om unrstandg that sexualy is a gay son has been highly amg, has ma me angry (wh other people, not wh him) and has given me and the rt of the fay a slightly different and often enlighteng perspective on the world.

FOR GAY MEN, HAVG A BLOGIL CHILD N BE PLITED

Who knows how many of my lovely son's quali are to do wh beg gay?

I am que strict wh the kids about avoidg stereotyp – we're not the bs of nstrag anyone wh clich – but the slightly awkward tth is that my gay son n dance better than the rt of put together. Parents of gay children may be shocked when their kids e out of the closet, but once the dt settl, most parents realize that their child is the same one they have loved and red for all their liv, they jt happen to be gay. And while parental acceptance is one hurdle for a gay child, there are many other issu facg gay kids and their parents.