Coming out is not always easy; it requires a lot of courage. It’s difficult for teens to do because they’re often worried about their parents reacting badly. That’s why some young folks decide to wait a while before coming out of the closet.
The worst thing that could happen is if someone outs a gay person before they’re actually ready. This is what happened to a teenager who didn’t come out to his parents but got shocked when one of them suddenly asked about his boyfriend and laughed when he insisted he was straight.
17-year-old felt like his parent “outed” him after they kept pressing him to reveal he’s gay and laughed at him when he said he isn’t
Image credits: prostooleh (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that they felt their teen son had been in the closet for 7 months and that he seemed to also have a boyfriend
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Although the teen had never officially come out, the parent decided to ask him one day if he planned to bring his boyfriend on their family trip
Image credits: u/platefoodaway
The teen seemed to get awkward and denied he was gay, but got emotional after his parent persisted and laughed, he was also angry that he had been outed when he wasn’t ready
Although the parent seemed absolutely oblivious to their son’s feelings about being outed, they apparently were very perceptive about the “signs” that he was gay. The poster had even said that their son was very masculine and straight-acting, but over the last 7 months, he seemed to have fallen for a boy. But, the teen himself hadn’t come out and confirmed any of this.
Even though both of the boy’s parents seemed to be supportive of his orientation, it isn’t uncommon for LGBTQ+ youth to come out to their families last. Surveys have found that around 86% of queer young people came out to a close friend first. Many waited for a long time to tell their parents because they were fearful of their reaction.
The 17-year-old’s parent seemed very accepting of his boyfriend, even going so far as to invite him on their family trip. But the poster overstepped by basically outing the boy when he hadn’t specifically mentioned anything about his identity. When someone is outed, either deliberately or unintentionally, it can violate their privacy and can even affect their mental health.
Forcing someone to come out when they’re not ready can even lead to anxiety and depressive symptoms. LGBT folks who are outed often feel blindsided and like a part of their identity has been exposed without their consent. This is probably how the teen felt, which is why his first reaction was to deny everything and pretend he was straight.
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster did not seem to understand their child’s distress and kept pressing the issue, even going so far as to say that he was very “obviously in a relationship with a guy.” When the teen realized his parent wasn’t giving up, he pleaded that they not reveal anything to his dad. Unfortunately, the poster didn’t handle the situation very well, and it ended with the son feeling extremely upset.
What parents need to understand is that even if all the signs point to their child being queer, their assumptions could still be inaccurate. Parents of possible closeted children need to create an atmosphere where their kid feels comfortable opening up to them. Rather than pushing the issue, they can simply use inclusive language, learn about the LGBTQ+ community, and let the child know they are there if they ever need to talk.
Once the kid or teen comes out of the closet, it’s important for their parent to let them know they are loved and supported. They can encourage dialogue and even read up on the topic to understand their child better. This helps the queer individual feel loved and accepted and takes a lot of anxiety away that’s involved with coming out.
The OP probably did not want to make their son feel bad by bringing up his boyfriend, but their actions did cause problems. Families need to be sensitive and approach such topics carefully. Although the teen was probably forced to come out too soon, hopefully, it led to a good outcome where he could finally announce his boyfriend to the world.
What do you think about this story, and do you think the poster was a jerk for their actions?
Most people called the parent out for laughing at their kid and making him feel uncomfortable
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Although the community verdict was that the poster was a jerk, some felt that it was okay because the parent wasn’t being malicious
