Las Vegas is the place if you want to drink yourself into the night while gambling away your life savings. Or get advice on raising a gay son. Recently, singer/songwriter Jack Remmington and his friend were playing on the Mariah Carey slots there when a 40-something man approached them. The stranger struck up a conversation with the two, asking if they were gay. Expecting an awkward encounter, Jack and his pal said yes. However, the man opened up about his deepest feelings towards his teen son who he thinks might be gay.
"It’s rare that people will approach to ask if you’re gay but you obviously often get stares depending on what you’re wearing which makes you get read as gay (I wear a lot of bright colours as I feel most comfortable in them)," Jack told Bored Panda. "I definitely expected [this particular conversation] to take more of a turn of that we were sinners, going to hell etc. as those tend to with white southern men who would approach you with an opinion."
"My first impression was that he seemed nice as he chatted which is more than what tends to happen with people you sit next to in Vegas at the slots. That said, I didn’t expect it to take this turn at all."
His honesty moved the guys so much, they started sharing their thoughts on what is and isn't an appropriate form on interaction with the boy, and luckily Jack shared it on Twitter. His thread has accumulated over 46K likes in just a few days and it's a must-read for everyone who knows a young person from the LGBTQ community and wants to understand them a little better.
"The relationship between him and his son has a 100% future - he was a wonderful and caring man, despite what he said was quite a difficult town to grow up in if you’re at all different," Jack said. "I wish all fathers could be like him."
Also, Jack wanted to add that we can all (regardless of if we’re LGBTQ or know someone who is or might be) do more to combat the idea that heterosexuality is the only accepted norm. "Little things like language to little girls - do you like any of the boys at school, ‘when you have a husband etc’ and instead say ‘is there any one you like’ or ‘if/when you’re married’. Also calling out homophobic language of family and friends makes for more comfortable and accepting spaces for everyone but particularly for LGBT people and will mean more than you can know."
Continue scrolling to read the heartwarming exchange!
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People were incredibly moved by their conversation
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