My mother thought me being gay was a death sentence.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really.
Deep down, my mom had long suspected I was gay... Much of her anger and hurt came from her sense of betrayal that she was the last to be told.
When I got married, my mother was very surprised. She said: 'What on earth is going on? I thought you were gay?'
There are still parts of the country where it's hard: when you realize you're gay, it's like a death sentence.
Remember that I was out of the closet at the age of sixteen. My parents knew I was gay; I'd had to tell them.
My mom doesn't get the whole gay thing, but she loves me.
My son wasn't gay. No way.
My being gay was something of not great interest to me.
My mom gave me enough self-worth to carry me through difficult experiences. She was very loving and accepting. She was like, 'Whelp, you're gay? OK, cool.'
My mother died of a stroke in 1974, and for a long time, I blamed myself. She was utterly devastated when I told her I was a lesbian not long before.