My Mom Is Gay
Atlanta, Georgia
September 2015
I
sitting at a bar with a married couple that I don’t know that well. We got
talking about our parents and Dan
tells me, “My mom is gay. I’m sure of it. She never told me she was gay and I’m
sure she is. She may not even be aware of it. She lived in an age when you just
couldn’t be gay. She’s 83 now and she still has a lot of gay friends. They are always over the house. One couple just got married.”
“So you’re telling me your
dad know she was gay. Was that part of their marriage,” I ask trying not to
nosy but really intrigued by this statement.
“No, no. my dad left when I was two. They were
dating and then she got pregnant. I think they were 18 and he didn’t hang
around too long. So he was never really in the picture. But my mom, she raised
me and there were always lots and lots of women around the house. They were all
single but they all hung together. My dad was not part of my life. Maybe I saw
three or four times in my lifetime. When I was in my 20s, I try to make amends
with him. But that just wasn’t happening. So really I was just raised by lots
of women.
His wife chimes in, “that’s
why he’s so great today. That’s why he gets women’s issues because he was
surrounded by so many strong women. He grew up with so many women.”
He continues, “I wish my mom could it
acknowledge that she’s gay but she can’t. I never bring it up with her but I
always just assumed my mom was a lesbian. She didn’t have to tell me that. I
just knew.”
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