I grew up and came out, for the first time, in the northwest end of Mississauga. I played hockey, baseball and I loved theatre. It was the early 1990’s and it was the beginning of the end of the AIDS epidemic, the 2SLGBTQ+ Rights Movement was out in full force, but I was not. My dad was deeply homophobic and there were stories daily on the news that my dad would yell “Faggots” or “Queers” at the TV.
Coming out in that environment was terrifying; but love is stronger. It took years for my parents, particularly, my father to accept me for who I truly am. In 1999, I met the love of my life, Christopher, and in September of 2020 we got married. The most important wedding guest would be my dad. He was there and extremely proud of us. My dad signed the registry for our wedding, which meant the world to me. Unbeknownst to me, he made a beautiful video of our wedding and gave it to us about a month later as our wedding present.
I am truly one of the lucky ones, but if one thing this story tells us, it is that love really is stronger.