Watch this video and read the text. And while you’re doing so, think about two things:
1. For those of you who think you “know” when someone is LGBT…would you ever think that Darren Manzella is gay?
2. A recent report from military officials investigating whether having LGBT soldiers on a unit “weakens morale” decidedly determined that it does not and that the DADT policy should be abandoned.
One often never knows who is and who is not LGBT. Just one of those things we all have to live with–sometimes literally. Meet Jeffrey and Tony Perri, grandson and father. Both gay and happy and living outside of the closet.
I unintentionally made a humorous reference to parents being gay in class a few weeks ago and someone who saw the clip on YouTube sent me a story that he heard on the radio. If you don’t remember what I said, you can check it out:
The interview from the radio is touching, especially when you know some people like Jeffrey and Tony. It’s definitely worth listening to. Just click on “Listen to the Story” at the top of the page after you click on THIS LINK.
So it’s actually a very cool story, but in a way that is ironically bittersweet. Had Tony had people in his life who were open about discussing homosexuality, he’d have been out of the closet in his youth — and Jeffrey would not be here because Tony would never have gotten married. I guess denial can be a good thing. It’s all perspective.
But in truth, it’s just nice to imagine elders in our midst who are open to discussing anything that comes to mind and with which young people struggle. What a world we have when that occurs.
