People like to say that we... «Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies»

People like to say that we gay people don’t know what it’s like to experience “real” discrimination—that we were never slaves, that we never had our land stolen from us, that we were never put in concentration camps (wait, yes, we were—okay, bad example). But let me say here and now that being rejected by your own parents just for being yourself is really, really tough. Sure, other minorities have had it bad (like it’s some contest!), but at least they grew up in families surrounded by people just like themselves. No matter how bad they had it, no matter how bad the discrimination is or was, at least most of them had one another.
Meanwhile, most of us gay people grow up surrounded by people who we know don’t understand us and who, if they knew the truth, might very well completely reject us. Then when they finally do learn the truth, most of our parents do reject us, at least for a little while. And there is nothing—and I mean nothing!—like being rejected by your own parents, even if you don’t have anything in common with them. These are still the people who raised you, who are supposed to love you unconditionally.