A very gay holiday wish…

When my dad came out as a gay man, I was in fourth grade and I learned quickly that my classmates in my small school would not take the news well. My two best friends were horrified, and other students started teasing me.

So I stopped telling people. The silence became an incredible burden. I loved my family, but instead of telling everyone at school how fun the holidays were at my house, I avoided the topic.

I felt isolated, alone, and scared. I thought that I was the only one, not only with a gay parent, but who had ever even met a gay person before. I often worried that someone would know what the rainbow sticker on my dad’s car meant, or that my secret would become the “talk” of the school.

This year, my Holiday Wish is that no other child with gay parents experiences the kind of isolation I did.

Click here to make a donation to COLAGE and create your own Holiday Wish to share with your friends using Facebook Causes. This fun website makes it easy to invite your friends and relatives to partner with you in supporting people with LGBTQ parents.

From the moment I first contacted COLAGE, I was acknowledged, welcomed and supported. It wasn’t until I found COLAGE that I truly found my voice. At COLAGE meetings I could freely flaunt my family’s fabulosity and it was not only accepted, but celebrated.

I am so grateful for my family, and I have COLAGE to thank for my courage to share that gratitude with the world. I am especially grateful that with our support COLAGE will continue to be there for all of the young people who are suffering in silence or struggling because of the ways their family is treated. 

Happy holidays,

Caitlin MacIntyre
COLAGE Board Member

P.S. Click here to make my Holiday Wish for children of LGBTQ parents come true by donating $5, $10, or $15 monthly to COLAGE!