I think the time has come to finally tell my parents about my sexual orientation. I have been openly (for the most part) gay for 2 years now. I am in a committed, stable relationship and have been for a little over 2 years. I haven't lived at home since I was 18 and I live openly in the city I live in now. All my friends know, everyone at work, and anyone I meet if it comes up, I dont hide it. Several of my cousins know as well. Back home things are a little different. I come from a deeply religious Catholic family, both of my parents are Mexican, born and rasied so needless to say, they aren't the most open-minded people. They've always been very loving and great parents, but homosexuality is a topic that was never talked about, at least not positively. I came out to my brother and sister last month and they took it well enough. They are both supportive and will continue to support me in everything I do. They are just worried about my parent's reaction. This is the part that terrifies me. I know my parents are very conservative and they do not approve of homosexuality. I have a cousin who is out of the closet and they are great with her, I just know that behind closed doors they disapprove of her lifestyle. My mom is very religious, religion is a big part of her life and I know that it is going to be extremely hard to get her to overlook that. My dad on the other hand is not very religious, he goes when my mom makes him but for him, I think the whole machismo thing is going to be an issue with him. I've always had an awesome relationship with both my parents, I'm just terrified that once they know the truth about my sexuality we will lose that. I think that with time they may come around, especially if my siblings are supportive of me. The fact that I dont live at home and live several hours away might also make it easier for them to accept. I can also see this turning out completely bad and this ruining our relationship. The last thing I want is to cause them any pain. I just really dont know how to break the ice to them in a way that will not permanently damage our relationship. Anyone else out there in a similar boat/had a similar experience?
I say take as long as you want. There's no rush to make them deal with something they're not comfortable with. All I can really say is be ready to stand by your boyfriend and your decisions, and keep your confidence. It will probably be a bit messy, and might take time for the impact to heal. But you are the one in control of that information. It might be worth talking to your parents about an LGBT topic and getting their opinions.
You seem to have enough of a support network that even if they don't take it well, or they don't right away, you'll be fine. How close can you be to them if you're having to hide your every day life, your relationships, your identity? It's not you causing them pain if they refuse to accept you. It's their fault. It's really not 1950 anymore. I'm not saying this lightly either. My parents still won't talk to me, over a year later. I just called and told them, didn't want to be there and see their meltdown, as if hearing it wasn't bad enough. But i don't regret it, at all. You can go about it in the 'nicest' way possible, but all that will matter is they're going to know you're gay. They'll either accept it or they won't. Well, best wishes whatever you decide.
As a Catholic, I completely get where you're coming from. You might look at what the pope said about not judging. Also, New Ways Ministries, a Catholic LGBT-friendly organization has some awesome resources about what the bible means to convey about homosexuality. I would strongly recommend checking them out. Here's a link. http://http://www.newwaysministry.org/
