Photo: Facebook, Wallace Araujo / Pexels
He might want to rethink his decision.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Mar 15, 2023
One man may have taken the cake for worst father of the year after revealing why he declined his son’s wedding invitation. According to him, he did not want to be “subjected” to his son’s agenda that he believed he was trying to push at his wedding.
Internet users are declaring that he would actually be doing his son a favor by not attending at all.
The father revealed that he would not be going to his son’s wedding since he was marrying a man.
The father originally shared his hateful rhetoric in a Facebook post, which was later posted to the subreddit thread, r/insaneparents. In his post, he revealed that he declined his son’s wedding invitation after learning that he would be marrying someone of the same sex.
“Hey guys, I need advice,” he began his post. “My ‘son’ invited me to his wedding…with a man!!!” It doesn't take too much reading between the lines to guess where this post might be going and what the man's thoughts are on same-sex marriage.
When the father informed his son that he would not be attending the wedding since he did not want to be “subjected to the gay agenda,” his son called him out for being homophobic.
“I just did not want to witness such things,” he claimed. “Him getting married to his best friend??? Who is a MAN??? I cannot.”
According to a survey released in 2022 by Gallup.com, 7.1% of U.S. adults identify as something other that heterosexual — a figure that has doubled since a similar survey in 2012.
In spite of these changing times, members of the LGBTQ community are still battling for equal rights and the respect given to their heterosexual peers. A November 2022 study by Pew Research found that 37% of Americans think that the legalization of gay marriage was bad for society.
If any of that 37% happen to have a non-straight child, that might make for many more conflicts similar to the one this father is facing. But if your relationship with your child is at risk, is it worth holding on to this minority view on gay marriage?
In 2014, we talked to coming out expert and life coach Rick Clemons about what parents can and should do if their child comes out as gay. Clemons said that while parents don't have to change their personal views overnight, a little open-mindedness and acceptance can go a long way.
"It's OK to stick to your values and beliefs. Hey, if we didn't stick to our values and beliefs about who we are, then we'd still be in the closet," Clemons said. "The good news for you is you can stick to your values and beliefs, but you may have to sacrifice our relationship in the process. On a positive note, if we accept that we have differences and can move on, then it can make our relationship work."
"Any life change can be fraught with challenges and make you feel vulnerable. The important thing is to know yourself well enough to be in touch with how you feel about those challenges and make a decision that is authentic and true to you. If you can't find it in your heart to wrap your arms around your gay child and accept them, then that's the best you can do. If you can, then squeeze them tight and remember that, in the end, they are still your baby."
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.