I wanted to share a story of somebody that had trouble going through coming out to her family that is from a strong Christian background, this is her story.
I was 23 years old and studying in grad-school overseas when I was accidentally outed to my parents. I started staying up all night on the phone with them, talking and arguing about if it was okay. They used my faith against me, saying that "if you don't change we're going to give up on you and God is going to give up on you" and "we don't even know you anymore" and "you are destroying this family." Going home made it worse because I was shamed into telling no one and restricted to staying home.
I was suicidal and they told me that it was "spiritual oppression" to try to pressure me to change. They took me to the doctor to get medication to stave off the depression but then used the money they spent on that to guilt me to change, telling me to pay it back if I continued to "dishonour" them. They finally told me that, if I left the house to visit my girlfriend, I was not welcome back. I left. They lifted that ban a year later, but our relationship is still strained.
I don't think most people here really see us with animosity, or if they do, they hide it. But we are definitely viewed as weird. A lot of people stare or seem uncomfortable or uncertain if they see us holding hands. One man said "aww how sweet" but that was a little awkward too because it's strange to get so much notice for your relationship when you just want it to feel normal. No one would stop and say "how sweet" to a straight couple holding hands.
I was 23 years old and studying in grad-school overseas when I was accidentally outed to my parents. I started staying up all night on the phone with them, talking and arguing about if it was okay. They used my faith against me, saying that "if you don't change we're going to give up on you and God is going to give up on you" and "we don't even know you anymore" and "you are destroying this family." Going home made it worse because I was shamed into telling no one and restricted to staying home.
I was suicidal and they told me that it was "spiritual oppression" to try to pressure me to change. They took me to the doctor to get medication to stave off the depression but then used the money they spent on that to guilt me to change, telling me to pay it back if I continued to "dishonour" them. They finally told me that, if I left the house to visit my girlfriend, I was not welcome back. I left. They lifted that ban a year later, but our relationship is still strained.
I don't think most people here really see us with animosity, or if they do, they hide it. But we are definitely viewed as weird. A lot of people stare or seem uncomfortable or uncertain if they see us holding hands. One man said "aww how sweet" but that was a little awkward too because it's strange to get so much notice for your relationship when you just want it to feel normal. No one would stop and say "how sweet" to a straight couple holding hands.
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