Letter From Father Disowning Gay Son Goes Viral

The Reddit user Regbarc has published the horrible letter sent to him by his father after he finally gathered up the courage to tell him that he was homosexual.

He says that he was moved to publish the letter in which his father disowns him, in order to make people realize the kind of bigotry and hatred that gay people experience on a daily basis.

Blaming “zealotry” from people like Bryan Fisher, of the American Family Association, Maggie Gallagher, former president of the National Organization for Marriage, and Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A, for behavior like that which he experienced, Redbarc’s letter has caused quite a stir and the story has been covered by numerous media outlets.

In the post, Redbarc explains that in 2007, he mustered up the courage to tell his father he was gay in a telephone call. After hearing his confession, the conversation dried up and his father went quiet. Eventually they hung up, with Redbarc hoping that his father just needed some time to process the information.

He then tells readers that he received the heartbreaking letter around a week after the phone call and just days before his birthday.

The letter reads:

“James: This is a difficult but necessary letter to write. I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past. Don’t expect any further conversations with me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house. You’ve made your choice though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle. If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand. Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted. Goodbye, Dad.”

Redbarc then elaborates on the kind of lifestyle he has led, explaining to readers that he never got in trouble, excelled academically, did not drink alcohol until the age of 22, has never taken drugs and has only ever had one speeding ticket.

Yet he exclaims that he has been subjected to this “terrible act of hate and cowardice” and elaborates on his shock that one human being can behave so callously to another, let alone to their own child.

Redbarc concludes the post on a positive note. He tells readers that 5 years after receiving this vile and hateful letter he is “still doing fine.” He says that occasionally, the letter will pop into his head, but when it does, he does not hesitate in thinking “Fuck you, Dad.”

Personally, I think it is inconceivable that a parent could act in this manner towards their child, I just can’t understand it, but maybe that’s because I come from a really tolerant family who would never dream of disowning or judging someone over their sexual orientation. I think it is really important that Redbarc has published this shocking letter as it might make people think before they act like small-minded, bigoted asshats.