A Parent's Wondeful Gift to An LGBT Child

My mother, Marion Hibben Phelps Hamar (pictured above with my late sister many years back on the neighborhood beach near my parents' home of 32 years in Virginia Beach) passed away a little before 2:30 PM this afternoon. She was a great lady with a dynamic life that began in Puerto Castilla, Honduras where she was born in 1927. She did so many wonderful things for me and my siblings over the years be it being there to comfort us over childhood injuries, teaching us how to canoe, snow ski and water ski, or instilling in us a love of reading and giving us the example of a loving and kind heart. In my particular case, she - and my late dad - accepted me without hesitation when I came out to them in mid-life. While so-called "friends" and law partners deserted me, my mom and my dad never wavered. Would that more parents of LGBT youths and adults followed that example. My dad did not live to meet my partner Barry, by my mother loved him - as he came to love her.

*

With constant news articles about homeless LGBT youth making up a disproportionate number of homeless youth - one 365gay.com story estimates 20-40% even though LGBT youth make up only 5-10% of the population - parental acceptance is critical. In many cases these youths are homeless because their parents threw them out of the house for being gay, with the Bible typically cited for justification. As a parent of three children myself, I just do not comprehend such a f*cked behavior. Again, my mom set the example that all true loving parents should follow. I will be thankful to my mom for the rest of my life for this additional great gift she gave to me. As for parents who disown their LGBT children (and I say this as a parent myself), they need to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves WTF is wrong with them? Oh, and if they use religion as an excuse, then they need to find themselves a new church/faith group. God, Christ, Allah, or whatever name you use, would not want a betrayal of one's own children.