Cory D. Byrom
Freelance writer and stay-at-home dad
Pretty in Pink
Posted: 08/09/2012 5:37 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cory-d-byrom/pink-piece-of-paper_b_1762015.htmlSo I'm not really an activist; I'm just a dad. That's the first priority. Of course I'm also a husband, son, brother, and uncle. I'm a beer enthusiast, fan of weird music, amateur stand-up comedian, and all sorts of other things. But being a dad? That's the big one. That's the one that changed how I live my life and what I want for the future. It affects how I see everything. I have three children, all under 6, and as I look around at the world in which they're growing up it's not hard to realize that there's much more at stake than just my own personal pursuit of happiness.
My oldest son is what one might call "gender non-conforming". That's just a PC way of saying his favorite color is pink and he likes getting a mani/pedi. Is he gay? I don't know. He's 5. Likely he doesn't know yet either. But it's safe to say if the day should come that he does realize he is, his mother and I won't be surprised. We also won't be disappointed, horrified, or ashamed. We'll be proud of him for being a strong, self-aware person. We'll celebrate that he is able to be truthful to himself and to us. We'll hope he was able to be honest with us as soon as he knew. We'll love him every bit as much then as we do now.
