I don't feel safe anymore. My coming out story is long and complicated, so I won't bother you with it, but it has lead to a lot of family issues. My whole family are christians, so when they found out, they weren't too happy. They found out a year ago, and my mom will still ask me to "pray the gay away". Yesterday, I was just sitting on the couch, reading my book, and suddenly my whole family starts attacking me with homophobic slurs. This is a regular occurrence. I hate them. I hate how they treat me. But most of all, I hate how afterwards they pretend that nothing happened and that I'm not dying on the inside. I can't take anymore of this. What do I do?
Are you in any position to move out, even just for a little while? If not, do you have anything like a phone you can use to record any of the times they decide to start hitting you with verbal abuse, at least you have some evidence that way.
Well damn. I'm guessing they are also unlikely to have their minds changed on the subject no matter what evidence you have of it, so that rules out writing down the things they say...I mean you could have a go just to point out "These are the kinds of things you say to me every day"...might make you feel a little better to know you tried...
That would make things worse. I have them convinced I'm indifferent to the LGBT community, and if I were to suggest their hate bothered me.... Well, I can't imagine what they'd do then.
You should tell them that they are literally killing you. Be direct and say that they are entitled to their opinions but you are not going to allow them to shove their opinions down your throat. Your personal life is no one else's business. Any time someone even starts to get into a rant, you have to quickly speak up and say you are against this abuse. Be consistent because otherwise they will feel they can say whatever they want. Try to avoid yelling or getting very angry yourself. If you want, using Bible passages against them, especially pointing out their un-christ-like behavior, may be useful. It's like training a dog not to bark: doing the same things will not change their behavior. So, acting indifferent when you really are upset will only harm you.
