Five years ago, a man named James called his father and came out to him as gay.
This week, James posted to the web forum Reddit the letter he says his father sent in response, which disowned his son forever, under the heading, “This is how hate sounds.”
“I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle,” it begins. “I have fond memories of our time together, but that is all in the past.”
In the letter, James’ father goes on to cut off contact with his son. “No communications at all,” he writes. “I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house.”
He continues, “You’ve made your choice though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle.”
If his son chooses not to attend his funeral, he says, “my friends and family will understand.”
The brief, brutal letter ends with, “Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted. Goodbye.”
James posted the letter to the atheism subforum of Reddit, where it was met with an outpouring of sympathy – though he said that’s not why he posted it.
He told the Daily News that he’s a “well-adjusted guy” at age 33, but many gay young people have difficulty coming out. “These people need serious help, compassion, and guidance, through what will unquestionably be one of the rockiest experiences of their lives,” he said.
James said he’s “not without a religious/spiritual point of view,” even though he posted his father’s letter to the atheism forum.
The controversy over gay marriage – brought to a fever pitch in recent weeks by the news of Chick-fil-A’s millions of dollars in donations to anti-gay groups – made him want to show another side of the story.
Anti-gay sentiments, James wrote from Los Angeles, “extend into families like mine.”
While most Christians won’t go so far as to completely disown their gay children, as James’ father did, he said gay-marriage foes contribute to “breaking the very family unit they hold so sacred.”
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...disowning-gay-article-1.1131431#ixzz22yupLCPY
