THIS is what intolerance looks like, imagine how it feels...

[MountainMama]

119. OK, deep breath....

This is happening in my family RIGHT NOW. I've been debating talking about it here, but this seems to be the perfect place.

I was raised Church of Christ. I've had my own struggles with my family over the years. My mom found out I was sexually active before I was married and I've been divorced twice. I also had the temerity to move away from the area. In some ways, I've been walking on pins and needles with my mom since I was 22 or so. No one calls me (except for one sister occasionally) and since I left the immediate area, I've been visited by family exactly never. However, I refuse to let the relationships die. They will have to issue the proclamation that I'm no longer welcome.

This brings me to my youngest nephew. He came out to all of us shortly before his 18th birthday. My youngest sister, who has went from the laughing, sparkling girl I knew to a holier-than-thou, solemn woman over the past five years, told him "he could stay until he graduated, then he had to get out." He moved in with his dad a few days before his graduation.

My family, and most of my sister's ex-in-laws, have fallen in line. My other sister told someone she thought my nephew was on drugs. He's never done drugs in his life. He's never been in any serious trouble in his life. Our aunt, when he told her (and he had been her favorite all his life), quit listening to him speak and made mean comments. She won't even talk to him now. When I went back home for his graduation, my parents referred to him in tones more suited to a serious criminal. My dad hid their spare key so my nephew wouldn't be able to get into their house. (In related news, I had asked my mom for a house key in the period of time before I permanently moved out of there. She refused.)

If my nephew does comes around, he can't bring any boyfriends or even talk about "gay stuff." His older brother (who's only 24) has gone all fire and brimstone on him and on ME for supporting him. He accused me of helping his brother be gay, or more gay somehow, because I support him.

They all firmly believe he's chosen to be gay. I tried talking to his mother after we all found out. In exasperation, I said, "Do you honestly believe he's chosen to be gay?" There was a pause and she said, "I just know he needs to get out of my house."

The other day he posted on Facebook, "My family tells me they love me for who I am, but half of them went to Chick-Fil-A for the anti-gay stuff. SMFH." It broke my heart.