@StoryCorps
I’m a week late for National Coming Out Day, and I thought about saving it for another time, but I decided it’s too good not to share. I’ve posted animations by StoryCorps before. They’re the folks that record and preserve the stories of “everyday people,” and their stories are often very moving.
Today’s is such a story. It’s a charmingly-told account of how a gay man remembers the first time he had a conversation with his father about his sexuality. It was 1959 and he was only a child, but his father’s advice to him came as a real shock to me.
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My OBT 
October 17, 2015 at 7:17 am
Wow, Donna. Just wow. That dad was pretty darn amazing–and in the 1950’s no less!!
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October 17, 2015 at 8:30 am
I agree. Good for him!
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October 17, 2015 at 7:31 am
Amazing Donna. The terrible thing is that Australia with its ignorant position on gay marriage is not even close to where that blokes dad was in the 50’s
Cheers
Franky
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October 17, 2015 at 8:33 am
Wow. I didn’t realize that was the case in Australia. What a shame. Of course, the US is still pretty divided on the subject, but I like to think it’s getting better every day. I think if we live long enough, people may get over it and move onto the next thing. Thanks for the comment!
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October 17, 2015 at 9:15 am
I love this story. But I wept a little seeing that Patrick’s Dad died only two years after showing his son such love, wisdom and compassion.
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October 17, 2015 at 9:24 am
That made me sad, too, but at least when he died, they were on good terms.
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October 17, 2015 at 10:57 am
Sweet sweet story!
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October 17, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Isn’t it? I love StoryCorps.
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October 17, 2015 at 2:55 pm
What a wonderful anecdote and a superb tribute to a great father. I like to think that there are more parents like him in the world now than there were in 1959 but it saddens me that some LGBT+ people are still too scared to be who they truly are around their loved ones because they will be met with intolerance.
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October 17, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Baby steps. As long as we’re not moving backward, we’re okay.
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October 17, 2015 at 4:59 pm
I think there might be some areas of this country where we are moving backwards in terms of civil and equal rights. However, you are right and generally we are moving forward and sometimes in great leaps and strides.
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October 17, 2015 at 8:00 pm
I think I’m a bit saddened that he died, the Dad, a couple of years after telling his son to accept who he was.
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October 17, 2015 at 9:04 pm
I was, too. But I’m glad he still has that voice in his head.
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October 17, 2015 at 9:06 pm
Oh yes, it’s what catapulted him into being who he is.
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