Yvonne's Coming Out Story

1993, the year my son came out to me and I began my journey to become the person I am today.

I had not met a gay person before that day, but had heard all the bad things a gay person was. I had heard the degrading jokes, the condescending negative remarks, and the idea that gay people were not normal. After finding out my son was gay, my struggle was that he did not fit that mold that society had put him in. Was he the only one that didn’t fit that mold?

That day became my start to coming out as a parent. I grieved for the child that would have to live with the hatred. I grieved for the shame that I would have to live through. Along with the tears, I also washed away all my homophobia and gained the most intense strength that any parent can find when it comes to their children.

I wanted change and I wanted acceptance for gay children and all our children. Somewhere safe so that my grandchildren and their grandchildren could grow and be free to be loved for who they are, not who society thinks they should be. My son did not fit that mold and neither do all the awesome gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirited, queer and questioning children I have met in the past 16 years.

16 years of knowledge has brought me to the point of no shame, no hate, and best of all, the freedom to say I love all God's children, gay or straight. Bless our sons and daughters.