Gay teen shunned by father after coming out: ‘This is worse than death’
By Josh Haggis
A gay teenager has shared his father’s vitriolic response to him coming out as gay.
Tyler, a 15-year-old from Vancouver, hoped to receive support from his family when he built up the courage to come out as gay, but instead, his father told him in a succession of messages that “this is worse than death”.
“We took care of you since you were a baby. We loved you, took care of you when you’re sick. Lost many days and nights in all your fifteen years,” said Tyler’s father in messages the 15-year-old shared on Tumblr. “Now this is what we get in return, shame and embarrassment.”
He continued: “If only you didn’t reject God and His teachings in your life you could have been strong enough to stay from evil and scums that surrounds you. Stay away.”
Tyler’s father went on to demand that he remove a post declaring that he is gay from social media, claiming that it could “ruin him”.
Tyler told Huffington Post that despite his father’s abhorrent views, his mother has been nothing but supportive since he came out: “I was so happy,” he explained. “I was so, so thankful that my mom supports me.”
He added that he hopes there’s a chance he will be able to reconcile with his father in the future: “I’m hoping there’s still the possibility that he could change, even it takes while. Maybe he could accept me, because that’s all I want. I just want him to be there for me.”
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