my dad

my dad my dad is gay. today's father's and i'm and i'm gonna tell you guys all about and i'm gonna tell you guys all about how, a and i'm gonna tell you guys all about how, a gay man, also have so my parents my parents were they got married after they got married after having me at they got married after having me at 20 years old. and they were married and they were married for 11 and they were married for 11 years. i'm the oldest child. I grew up seeing my mom and dad together, kissing. kissing, all of that, until until at the age of until at the age of 12, when I until at the age of 12, when I was 12, in 2008, in 2008, they in 2008, they told us that in 2008, they told us that they were getting a divorce. divorce is already divorce is already traumatizing enough as it is divorce is already traumatizing enough as it is when you are that young. but the reason for that divorce but the reason for that divorce was but the reason for that divorce was because my dad came out of the closet. and he could and he could no longer hide the fact despite despite trying to suppress his sexuality for years, despite the fact that he had built a family, had a wife and had a wife and three kids, suppressing suppressing his true, authentic self authentic self and his sexuality was not something he was able to do any longer. and the older and the older I get, the more empathy I have because because I cannot building your life with someone you know, someone, and thinking you've built this and thinking you've built this incredible family, only to only to realize only to realize that not only only to realize that not only is your partner not they're they're not interested in they're not interested in women at all. and so I hold i hold a lot of empathy for i hold a lot of empathy for my mother there. because I don't know and I'm. I'm sure that that really messed with her head in a lot of ways. but as but as a gay man myself, I am very but as a gay man myself, I am very proud that my dad chose himself. if he had chosen if he had chosen himself from the from the get-go from the very start I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't so I'm grateful to be you know, you know, things happen the way growing growing up it was very confusing because because I saw because I saw the way it stirred up it made me it made me suppress my own sexuality many years. I didn't come out many years. I didn't come out until I was 18 years couple days away from graduating high school. one day, I realized I was moving and I didn't have and I didn't have anyone to and so and so I came out. and it and so I came out. and it was a liberation, one that I'm sure one that I'm sure my father felt as well when he chose himself. my father and I were not we fought our parents our parents came to despise us kids got in the middle of that, we were forced to choose over over the years, I have repaired my relationship with the older the more understanding the more understanding and compassion I have for both of my parents. now being now being gay is something that I can come together with my dad and bond over and it's and it's not awkward. except for the fact that my but that's a whole separate story time. now I'm able to meet now I'm able to meet with my dad when he comes into town because he's a flight so he's so he's always flying across the globe. we're we're able to bond over the shared gay experience, about that gay shit, bro. something that I wasn't able a young boy in the closet, I think my I think my dad had a lot of courage. and now and now he gets to live and now he gets to live his authentic life as who he is and not feel ashamed of that. and that makes me very proud to i wanted i wanted to share that story today on i wanted to share that story today on Father's Day. happy father's happy father's day dad. love you. love you. thank you for and I'm proud of and I'm proud of you.