As part of LGBT Pride month, Tell Me More is exploring the sometimes difficult process of informing others about your sexual orientation. Guests and friends of the program who are either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are sharing their stories of coming out to those closest to them: family, friends, and even co-workers.
I figured there were a few ways I could come out to my family: There was the apologetic route – "Sorry, I know this is hard for you, but ... " There was the casual, minimizing approach – "Oh, by the way, I'm gay, whatever, it's not a big thing." And then, of course, there was self-righteous indignation – "I'm here, I'm queer, and you should just deal with it!"
I went with self-righteous.
I began with a combative letter to my father, an unnecessarily hostile missive that has been mercifully lost to history. His response has, however, survived. My father — a hyper-educated man who loathed being caught off his intellectual guard — met my indignation with a torrent of, well, really useful information. He advised me to read James Baldwin's novel Just Above My Head.
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Complete article at NPR : http://n.pr/lzL2I3
