A Message from Heart to Conscience

From the early 1960s to mid 80s, my husband and I raised our four children, two boys and two girls, in what I would describe as a “heterosexual home environment”.

Knowing virtually nothing about “other” possibilities allowed us to treat all our kids as “straight”, just like ourselves.

It wasn’t until 1984 that we had a heart-rending awakening.

Our youngest, at age 16, made an earnest attempt to end his life. We were lucky; he survived.

This shocking and frightening incident was our discovery of human diversity on a whole new level.

During a counseling session weeks later, our son revealed his long-kept secret. He was gay, NOT straight.

In days to follow, he would share how as a boy of 5-6, he felt “different”, but was unable to identify the core of this sensation until he neared the age of puberty.

My mind flashed back to little girl crushes I’d had on boys in the early 1950s. I did not have to keep these feelings a secret.

Read the rest of this letter at shauaritasun.com.

Gay Helpline Available 24/7 in Miami Florida

Switchboard of Miami operates the GLBT Helpline, thru the number 305-646-3600. The service is a 24 hour, 7 days a week line answering in English, Spanish and Creole.

You can read more about this in an article by Steve Rothaus in the Miami Hearald or visit the Switchboard of Miami website.