They're from the Philippines, very religious, and openly repeated our church's anti-gay rhetoric throughout my adolescence.
I was terrified they'd cut me out of their lives. But I didn't want to live a life where my parents never really knew who their son was.
So, I took the risk. I came out to them in a speech during my college graduation (dramatic, I know). There's been a lot of love and plenty of hurtful exchanges since then.Our conversations rarely erupt into shouting matches anymore. We're able to acknowledge and have (very difficult) discussions about me being gay. Huge improvement from previously sweeping it under a velvet rug, a classic Catholic tradition.I asked them two months ahead to give them plenty of time to think about it.
My dad said, "That's fine with me," while my mom took her time with it. This surprised me. When I first told them I was gay, Dad was the stubborn one and Mom was my advocate.