Ask Laura

Underestimating Your Parents

October 25, 2006

OUTzone: How's it going, "Bad Mommy?"

Bad Mommy is doing awesome. Let me just say I love having my gay posse around. From those boys over at Rungay to you bunch here at OUTzone, it’s good to have y'all watching my back.

OUTzone: Awesome. So let’s jump in to these questions. Some of them came from the boards this week. Some have come in through the viewer email. And the first one is from Katie.

I know this one! And I really hope that she’ll write back in soon with an update.

OUTzone: She writes, "My boyfriend of five years is about three days away from telling me that he’s gay. I know he has a crush on this guy in our building, and they spend a lot of time smoking pot together. I guess I’m okay with the gay part, but do I break up with him before or after he tells me? Because there’s a very slim chance that I’m wrong."

This is a gut feeling thing. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that you can’t ignore your gut. I think postponing the inevitable is never a healthy thing. What I would do is try to turn the relationship back into a friendship. And though it’s generally hard to take steps backward this way, I don't see any other choice at the moment. You have to go with your gut. And write back in and tell us how it goes.

OUTzone: This one came into the viewer email from Chad, who writes: “My boyfriend and I are going home to his parents' house for Christmas. His parents don’t yet know that he’s gay. We’ve been together for three years. What would Laura do?”