World News: Parents of Gays Are Urge By Other Parents to Come OUt

REIMS (marl) When Christine and Jackie discovered that their son was gay, the sky was almost falling on their heads. Combining contact, they were able to speak, understand and accept. And they want to create an association in turn to share their experience.

"There was a little surprised that our son Julien (1), 19, had no girlfriend. He made us to believe he had one, but no one had ever seen. Moreover, it was very crumpled in his studies at the Lycée Saint-Joseph and familiar problems. One day I threw the hook. I told him that if he went out with an old, or even a boy, I did not care. He acknowledged. We did not know what to do. We lived in a bubble. We did not know who to tell and then by chance while searching for information on a vaccine for Senegal, the fair Chalons-en-Champagne, we came across a book featured on the stand of the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education, "Our child is homosexual." That's how we met in Paris with members of the association contact that permits dialogue between gays, lesbians and their parents. And it helped so much. That's why we want to open a branch of this movement in Reims to help families and friends understand and accept the sexual orientation of their relatives, help young gays and lesbians to communicate with parents and carers but also fight against discrimination which may be suffered by gays and lesbians. "

Four years have passed. Today, retired teacher, 54 year old mother of three children, two girls and a boy, Christine C., residing in Epernay, is very comfortable to discuss the subject. Jackie, her husband, police officer, now retired, says he struggled to swallow the pill. "I could not recognize the obvious. This is the last of the family, I was happy to have a boy for the offspring. "

Hard to recognize the obvious

Combining Contact which allowed them to Paris to meet parents who are experiencing the same thing, and homosexuals, although they finally accepted the situation.

"During the open meeting, we listened, we shared our experience with others. "

They did not fail to be surprised. "There are some who do not recognize their son, saw their gay children's home. One lady spoke of her son in the past, saying it was a good student. We also saw gays who dare not reveal to their parents. It has been understood, it is because no judge anyone. "But still regret that there is not much dad at these meetings. And now comes Julian with her parents and her boyfriend.

More surprising. Christine and Jackie had even attended the last gay pride parade in Paris to represent the association contact.
And they have not hesitated to march with a placard that read: "My son is gay, my son too. "While Julian and his friend are not even civil unions. "We now are assumed completely," Christine said in chorus and Jacky sorry to see that their parents are still badly in this situation and their family there is a lesbian who does not speak.

Testify and be useful

If the couple dares to go out today of anonymity, it is precisely to invite parents who live in their shoes, as well as gays and lesbians to come to meet and talk. "We opened a permanently on the 3rd Friday of the month at Reims (read elsewhere) but we would also open an antenna contact Reims. For this, we must be at least two or three families. We would like to make interventions in schools and Tied to join the fight against homophobia. "

Alain MOYAT
L'union...