[Magdalen] National Coming Out Day - 25 years ago for me

[Jay Weigel]

Congratulations to both of you.

This brought back memories of the day my friend Michael came out to his
parents. It was back in the late 90s sometime, don't recall the exact date
but it was in the fall., and it was the heyday of chatrooms. He and his
roommate/partner JR were two of the younger members of the gardening chat
that I was part of. That particular weekend Michael's parents were coming
into town and he was in a dither about whether to come out to them or not.
Apparently his grandmother either knew or had guessed, but she hadn't said
anything to his parents, and he was scared they would reject him. I
remember how encouraging everyone was to him, especially one woman who had
a gay brother. He finally left, resolved to tell them. When he came back
that evening, he reported that everything had gone well; in fact, his
parents' attitude had been something along the lines of "We already knew,
why did you wait so long to tell us?" and they welcomed his partner with
open arms.

Much time has passed, the chatroom is no more, and people have gone their
separate ways. I'm still friends with a number of people from there, but
I've lost track of Michael over the last few years. Last I heard he was in
California. JR went back to France.

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 2:55 PM Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thank you all so much!
>
> I also thanked Tom Johnson, a schoolmate who went on to be an executive
> with the Clorox company and a leader in making workplaces safe for LGBT+
> employees.
>
> He loved my story, especially how "the universe sent you Bulldog to help
> you come out." Indeed.
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 1:28 PM cady soukup <cadyasoukup at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > What a tender moment of mixed vulnerability, comfort, and serendipity
> > to remember and share with us Scott,
> >
> > May you continue to be blessed as you move on your life's path.
> >
> > gentle hugs too - Cady
> >
> > On 10/12/20, Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Wonderful, Rick! I think my dad was a little uncomfortable about how to
> > > react but made a point of saying he agreed with Mom about it. That
> meant
> > a
> > > lot to me.
> > >
> > > On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 9:16 AM Rick Mashburn <ricklmashburn at gmail.com
> >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> What a cool memory! Thanks for sharing.
> > >>
> > >> I came out about the same time but I don't remember the date. My mom
> was
> > >> awesome. She asked if I had a boyfriend and if so she wanted to meet
> > him!
> > >> My dad didn't take it well but if we'd had more time, I think he would
> > >> have
> > >> been fine. Unfortunately, he was already ill at the time but we didn't
> > >> know
> > >> it yet. He died about 6 months later.
> > >>
> > >> But, my mom amazed me - a life long Southern Baptist living in a small
> > >> town
> > >> in northeast Texas. She never skipped a beat in making sure I knew
> that
> > >> she
> > >> loved me and supported me.
> > >>
> > >> Peace, Rick
> > >>
> > >> On Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 4:15 PM Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > I just realized today's the 25th anniversary of my special visit to
> my
> > >> > parents. We watched TV and chatted, and then I gave Mom a letter on
> > the
> > >> way
> > >> > out but she made me stay while she read it so she and Dad could
> > >> > reassure
> > >> me
> > >> > of their love and understanding. I'm very fortunate. I was much
> helped
> > >> > by
> > >> > actor Dan Butler ("Frasier"), who happened to appear on the news as
> we
> > >> > talked, as he had just come out publicly with his one-man show, "The
> > >> > Only
> > >> > Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me." I'm forever grateful to him for
> > >> > that
> > >> > extra blessing on the occasion.
> > >> >
> > >> > --
> > >> > Scott R. Knitter
> > >> > Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Scott R. Knitter
> > > Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
> > >
> >
>
>
> --
> Scott R. Knitter
> Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
>