I have a friend who lives in Virginia and whose family is part of a very devout, evangelical Christian community and church. They even evangelize in many public places. He doesn't seem to mind all that much, except he feels a TON of pressure on his parents and now, he's telling me when he sees gay couples holding hands in public, his mind is like this: "..." whatever that means. And guess what? HE'S GAY. His mom verbally abuses him every time he does something effeminate or quirky (he's obviously closeted) and now he might be on a slippery slope to self-hatred. What should I tell him? (And I really do mean a friend, as I'm an antitheist).
Encourage him to self-evaluate by asking more questions and, therefore, causing him to question himself more often. When he makes comments about same-sex couples or LGBTQ topics, ask him why he feels that way? If he reiterates the criticisms that his family throws at him, then ask him why he believes that being eccentric or feminine should be seen as negative? The more he becomes willing to question the ignorance that is thrown at him, the less likely he will be to internalize it.
