On Monday, The Arizona Daily Star published the latest “Dear Amy” advice column, in which a flummoxed mother writers in to voice her concern about the son who “won’t stop being gay:”
DEAR AMY: I recently discovered that my son, who is 17, is a homosexual.
We are part of a church group, and I fear that if people in that group find out they will make fun of me for having a gay child.
He won’t listen to reason, and he will not stop being gay. I feel as if he is doing this just to get back at me for forgetting his birthday for the past three years; I have a busy work schedule.
Please help him make the right choice in life by not being gay. He won’t listen to me, so maybe he will listen to you.” — Feeling Betrayed
But don’t panic. Amy’s response is pretty perfect:
You could teach your son an important lesson by changing your own sexuality to show him how easy it is. Try it for the next year or so: Stop being a heterosexual to demonstrate to your son that a person’s sexuality is a matter of choice, to be dictated by one’s parents, the parents’ church and social pressure.
I assume that my suggestion will evoke a reaction that your sexuality is at the core of who you are. The same is true for your son. He has a right to be accepted by his parents for being exactly who he is.”