Fathers of gay sons
Father opens up about coming out to his 3 sons: I'm still the same dad as before
"Good Morning America" is featuring stories in celebration of Pride Month. Scott Takacs, a year-old and father of three, penned a personal essay about his experience coming out as a gay man to his sons. Read about his journey below in his own words.
Coming out at 42
I was 42 years old when I came out to my wife. It was 15 months later that I started that identical conversation with my three boys -- 9-year-old twins and an year-old.
The whole experience is somewhat of a blur, mostly in part to the truth that at that indicate in my life there was a lot of change happening and some significant pent-up emotions. There wasn't much of a plan, no guidebook in hand, only goals that I hoped my boys would start the process of understanding and accepting their dad for whom I truly was: a gay man.
It had been a long 15 months since coming out to my wife, an life I unfortunately wouldn't portray as positive, fun or something I ever yearn to repeat. It was wrought with the happiness
Fathers in many families are mysterious, distant, intimidating figures—even more so for boys with homosexual attractions. They are the family torchbearers of manliness, and, as males young and elderly know, homosexuality is considered the dreaded opposite of masculinity. According to Michael Kimmel, a sociologist and expert on male sex roles, men demonstrate their masculinity by repudiating all that is feminine and demonstrating an ever-ready willingness to engage in sexual intercourse with women whenever the opportunity arises-in a nutshell, to prove they are not gay. To be gay is to be powerless, weak, unable to break free from Mommy, and these characteristics are incompatible with true manliness.
Initially, the assertion that homophobia plays center stage in men's masculine self-concept may seem rather utmost. However, go to places where men and boys congregate such as schoolyards, sports fields, fraternity houses, and locker rooms in this country and you will hear taunts such as "You're a sissy!" "That's so gay." "Hey c*cksucker!" or "Wow, you really got f*cked in the *ss on tha
Love Across Deep Difference: A Father’s Journey with His Homosexual Son
Tom Shippee and his oldest son, Alex, are dedicated Christians. Both together and separately, they’ve been on an in-depth theological journey to explore what it looks favor to be a family that disagrees on what constitutes faithful sexuality. In this Q&A, Tom shares his thoughts about what it’s meant to endeavor squaring the existence of their lives with their diverse understandings of God’s truth as revealed in the Bible.
Note: This is the first of a series. Reside tuned for subsequent questions and responses with Tom.
How would you characterize your own theological position, and that of your son? What labels, if any, do you use?
To be honest, both of us resist labels because they are completely inadequate within the nuanced reality of who we are as human beings. I strongly hold to a traditional, or what is sometimes called the Side B, sexual ethic. That means that genital sexual connection is reserved for a covenantal marriage between one guy and one lady. Alex has chosen to date men with the intent of ente
Help! My Son is Gay
by Ricky Chelette, Executive Director
“So should I push my son towards women now?” That’s a question I often get from fathers of young men who are struggling with same gender attractions. Dads are often devastated by the discovery of their son’s homosexuality. But the answer to their son’s struggle is not to push him into the arms of a woman. In evidence, such a move could actually do more damage than good.
But what should a dad do for his son? In a word: connect! I discover when saying that many dads might think, “I am linked to my son. He’s my son. I’ve been around him since birth. We are fine.” But the fact is that simply being present doesn’t represent you have any kind of emotional, intimate, connection with your son. He is a sensitive guy who needs to be spoken to in a language he can hear and grasp. Proclamations of facts do minuscule to move his heart. He wants words dripping with unpolished emotion and heart-felt passion. He wants to know you, intimately, and feel the weight of your passion for him. In many ways, he wants you to look him straight in hi