So, I had the most remarkable thing happen to me last Saturday when visiting my parents:
Some of you may know, but for those who don't: my parents are both deeply religious. They were in fact both southern baptist Sunday School teachers when I was a kid and EXTREMELY dogmatic in those beliefs (we're talking irredeemably ignorant, young earth creationist types). As you might imagine, when I came out it was an absolute disaster. None were affected so much though as my father (I being his first born 'son'), whom plunged into downright denial and depression about the whole thing and was convinced I'd realize how ridiculous/wrong/sinful I was being. So intense was their opposition, they effectively cut ties with me.
Well, fast forward about two years, and they are becoming more and more tolerant of me. They both realized that abandoning me would be downright evil, and opened the lines of communication. They've been visiting me with more and more regularity and we've been having more and more pleasant interactions with each other.
At this point my mother has become totally accepting, and is even borderline excited for me; that said, I was always still worried about my father, for whom I worried that, even though he wasn't directly antagonistic like he had been, I still made uncomfortable. Well, when I was visiting this Saturday, and having a wonderful conversation with the both of them, he waited until he could get me alone and said the following (which I will transcribe to the best of my memory):
"Listen, the way it was when I was growing up, trans and homosexuals were just lumped in with all sexual deviants and I believed then that that was accurate. When you were growing up, I said some terrible things about gay and trans people, and that had to have made your life a lot harder, and I'm sorry for that. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself; you didn't deserve that, and there is nothing wrong with you and nothing sinful about you. It's just a lot easier to hate something, when it isn't staring you in the face, when it isn't something you know is good and care about. I feel like through all of this I have become a much wiser person, and I wanted you to know all I want is your happiness, and I'm extremely proud of you."
Naturally I began crying, and I bawled the entire way home that evening. That was without a doubt the greatest moment I ever shared with my father and I love him more than life itself. Anyway, I know complete 180s like that are almost unheard of, for someone to go back and critically analyze their assumptions about people, and not only change their minds but APOLOGIZE for it...I thought that was just so incredible it was worth sharing!
