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I think my dad may be gay or bi. Should I tell him?

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by coreyh, Aug 3, 2015.

  1. coreyh

    coreyh Guest

    Let me start off by saying that I love my dad and would have zero problem whatsoever if he were gay. It would only break my heart that he's been living a lie for nearly 60 years. I love and support him no matter what.
    My sister called me today and told me that she suspects our dad is gay. She lives with him and overheard him talking on the phone in a tone she'd never heard before; super happy and sweet (my dad, while a good person, is usually pretty stoic). She said she overheard him talking about how the person on the phone never would've talked to him if he hadn't fibbed about his age on the website. When she walked past his open door, she said she could have sworn the voice on the other end was male. The next day she said he was unusually happy, inviting her to hang out with him in the kitchen and talk about his day (again, while he's a loving father, he's usually not one for small talk). Mid way through their conversation he received a phone call, and said "Sorry, I have to take this" in a tone that implied she should leave the room. She said he conducted the conversation in hushed tones, but she swears she heard him say, "I've done it before, but I wasn't in love with the guy." There was also an incident at a family wedding over Thanksgiving where our aunt's boyfriend got into a huge fight with one of my uncles at a family dinner, and before storming out of the restaurant he yelled, "By the way [insert my dad's name here] IS GAY." At the time we all laughed it off as a bizarre and outlandish comment, but now it seems very relevant. Also, his birthday is June 26, and when I asked him what he was doing he said he was going out to Hollywood to hang out with his openly gay friend that he's had since before I was born, which I thought was odd because obviously Hollywood would be mayhem the day gay marriage was legalized, and he usually hates crowds. And obviously his friend would be out celebrating. I didn't think too much about it beyond a "that's weird" at the time, but now it also seems like it could be a piece of the puzzle.
    It's confusing because ever since my parents divorced when I was five, my dad has dated women constantly. I guess you could call him a "womanizer," except that every girl he dated, he dated with intention. He was just constantly dating. He's been engaged twice since the divorce, but never remarried. It never once crossed my mind that he might be gay. I think it's more likely that he's bi.
    My siblings and I have discussed it and have differing opinions on how to approach the situation. We all just want him to know that we love him and he has our support. My sister wants to sit him down, intervention style, and tell him we know, but she wants to wait until he's had more time to figure things out for himself, since judging by the phone conversations it's a fairly new adventure for him. My brother agrees with me in that an intervention style meeting might come off as an ambush, and thinks that my sister should talk to him by himself and let him know that we all know.
    I just really want to talk to my dad myself. We've always been close and it kills me to keep a secret from him, even when that secret is that I know the secret he's keeping from us. I want to tell him that I love him and support him 100 percent and that I'm sorry he's had to hide, and I want to tell him as soon as possible. It just feels wrong to me to pretend like nothings going on, and I'm afraid he might think he can't tell us or that we wouldn't be accepting (he knows we're supportive of gay marriage, but maybe he feels like this is different because he's our dad?) , when maybe knowing that we know and are okay with it could be liberating for him, and he might be a lot happier knowing that he has our support. My sister, however, has made it very clear that if I tell him I know before she's ready, she'll never speak to me again.
    So, my question is this: What would be the best way to approach this situation? Should we tell him that we know, or wait for him to come to us? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
     
  2. Chiroptera

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    Hello coreyh,

    Welcome to EC!

    If you want, i think you (or you sister, that would be better if she lives with him) could talk to him, but try not to scare him of or pressure him too much. Or, as you say it apparently is something new to him, then peraphs you should give him more time.

    In any way, respect his space. Be sure to make it clear that you support him. If he doesn't want to talk about it, respect his decision.

    Also, is there a possibility that he isn't gay and you two are misinterpreting things?

    Hugs (*hug*)
     
  3. Bolt35

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    I'd say give it a bit time. Even if he is gay or bi, I don't think he might be ready for it.

    In his mind, he might be thinking or assuming that once he does come out the closet, it might be seen as a betrayal for your mother and siblings. Since he might think that from your point of view, along with the rest of your siblings, you might see that everything he's done for you is a lie. maybe that's why he doesn't want to come out. I agree with what Chiroptera's saying, you could take the baby steps by making him a bit more comfortable that you guys are perfectly acceptable with who he is. maybe a conversation about LGBT issues or rights might help a bit, or a common LGBT celebrity that you guys have an interest in. you definitely don't want it to be too aggressive. If not, then you guys might be looking into it a bit too much. Parents always has an annoying habit of keeping things from us, so the best way to do it is how you guys would know, since you know them the best.
     
  4. Chicagoblue

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    I am a dad who has recently come out to himself. My kids are very direct, as is my wife, so one day I almost expect them to start questioning me. Actually me wife already has.

    I want to do this in my own timing...it's very hard. Perhaps you could focus on building/re-building your relationship with him.

    Is not knowing making you anxious? I know it's hard on you but believe me it's probably killing him if in fact he is gay and in the very early stages of coming out to himself.
     
  5. mangotree

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    Maybe ask him if he's gay rather than telling him that you know.
     
  6. 50ishandout

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    Well I'd say Dad I love you no matter who you love and then give him a big hug and kiss.
     
  7. mochii

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    Hi welcome to EC!
    My personal opinion is to give your dad space and let him come to you, but that could obviously be very hard for him to do. So you could start slowly introducing gay topics into your conversations, showing him that you're nonjudgmental and love him no matter what. My brother has started doing this for me and it's letting me know that I can come out to him when I am ready.