This is so heartbreaking!
We can’t imagine how hard it was for this young man to read this awful letter from his father, let alone post it on the internet, but we understand EXACTLY why he did it.
In an effort to show the world “how hate sounds,” Reddit user RegBarc uploaded a letter he received from his loving father after coming out of the closet when he was only 15 years old. His father “disowned” him 5 years ago and they haven’t talked since.
The handwritten letter can be hard to read (above), so find out the WORST thing a parent can say to a gay child … AFTER THE JUMP!
“James: This is a difficult, but necessary letter to write.
I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past.
Don’t expect any further conversations with me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house.
You’ve made your choice, though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle.
If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand.
Have a good birthday and good life.
No present exchanges will be accepted.
Goodbye,
Dad”
The unfortunate recipient of this nasty letter continued to explain his decision to share it with the world by writing:
“It’s important to know just what this zealotry from Bryan Fisher, Maggie Gallagher, Dan Cathy, et al., does to everyday people. I’ve never done drugs, was an excellent student, an obedient child (far less trouble than many of my classmates), didn’t drink until I was 22 because it terrified me, and have had just 1 speeding ticket in my life. Yet I am still seemingly deserving of this terrible act of hate and cowardice that one person can place on another.”
Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, but what happens when certain beliefs blind a person so much that they can no longer see love in this world? This anonymous man’s letter makes us wonder if he ever truly loved his son to begin with.
Fortunately, not every parent feels the same way.
Another user, whose adopted son came out of the closet around the same age, wrote a LOVING letter to this complete stranger in response. He points out that a man who hates his own son so much that he needs to disown him is NOT a “dad,” he’s just a father. Newvideoaz wrote:
“Any idiot can be a father (and clearly many are) but you’ve got to EARN being a Dad … He’ll always be your father. That’s biology. But biology is fickle. We know this because while he has perhaps passed a lot to you via DNA, he did NOT pass along intolerance or stupidity … I actually hope that someday he gets a change to look deeply in his heart and comes to understand how horribly, terribly he screwed this up. If so, he’ll maybe have a chance to start some personal redemption and healing. But he needs that. You don’t.
Cuz there’s nothing wrong with you. At all.”
So true!
Love your children for who they ARE, not who you want or expect them to be!