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Taylor
Beginner October 2023

Need to vent and need advice..

Taylor, on June 29, 2020 at 10:23 PM Posted in Family and Relationships 0 14
Hi, this is actually my first time posting but I was hoping to get an outsider's view on this. My grandparents and aunt aren't currently talking to me because they believe I'm calling them out on being racist and homophobic. I recently came out as bi and my future husband, mom, sister and pretty much everyone around me has shown their support and love. I found out that my grandparents and aunt have been talking behind my back and saying things like "of course she'd be the freak of the family" and "can bi people even get married theyre all messed up in the head how can she marry a guy if she swings both ways?" The worst part is they're saying all of this in front of my little sister. I couldn't believe it until she told me she recorded it. It broke my heart because they have always been my closest family and I love them more than anything but now.. im not even sure if I want them at my wedding. My fiance doesn't think I should have to be the one to reach out first and talk things out. Im hurt and very mad and im not sure how to handle this or even if I should. Has anyone else gone through this? What advice can yall give me?

14 Comments

Latest activity by Megan, on August 7, 2020 at 8:19 AM
  • Rebecca
    Devoted September 2021
    Rebecca ·
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    My sister is gay. My typically extremely religious, conservative family surprised me (and definitely my sister) by being fiercely supportive. I am so sorry you’re having to go through this, but I am so happy that you have some great support.


    I genuinely hope your grandparents and aunt come around, but I think it’s important to remember that not everybody is willing to change their comfort zone, at least not right away. For now, I would leave them be. Sometimes silence is more powerful than words, and it is never healthy to have people treat you poorly.
    Something my sister did with my dad (who struggled the most, but came around shortly before he passed) was to write him a letter. She kept it for months before giving it to him and the process of writing the letter was an extremely helpful thing for her to do. By the time she gave it to him, she had come to terms with her feelings. Obviously this doesn’t work for everybody or every situation, but writing out your feelings definitely has merit, whether or not you share it with anybody.
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  • Kerin
    Super February 2021
    Kerin ·
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    I think Rebecca was spot on. My sister is bi and my cousin is lesbian. It was extremely hard for them to share that information with some of our relatives, but eventually they did it anyway. One of our aunts didn't come to my cousins wedding and went as far as to bash her in a letter to my uncle (this cousins dad and the aunts younger brother). It caused a very big rift, but my cousin chose to let our aunt alone and, while there is still a long way to go, it's been almost 2 years and they are on speaking terms again.


    Good luck, hun, and don't let anyone detract from your joy. Everyone deserves to be happy and feel loved. You are no exception ::hugs::
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  • Renee
    Super June 2020
    Renee ·
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    Awwww I’m so sorry. You’d think family would be supportive no matter what but some people are just stuck in their ways.


    I would have to keep my distance because I go from 0 to petty real quick. I also probably wouldn’t invite them to the wedding and when they ask why just replay the tape and walk out. But again that’s just me. I hope you can find some closure quickly!
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  • Emely
    Savvy August 2022
    Emely ·
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    I'm not "out" to my family (and neither is my S/O) but you love who you love regardless if it looks like man and woman, man and man or woman and woman etc. The opinions of those who are closet to us hurt us the most and its unfortunate how people we deem to be so close to us can sometimes be the ones who do the most damage. It's a tough situation but I would start with just a simple conversation. Make sure you tell them where you're coming from and that their words are very hurtful. Ultimately tell them if they cannot support you and will continue to be hurtful then you need to set boundaries. It's your day, your money and your life.
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  • Sexypoodle
    Master October 2021
    Sexypoodle ·
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    Sorry to hear that. I haven’t gone through anything like that myself. But I’d definitely leave them off the list with zero regrets. At a wedding, couples should be surrounded by people who actually support the individuals, as well as the union together.
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  • L
    Super October 2020
    Leslie ·
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    I sorry to hear that but change is hard for some people. They’re old fashioned and mean no harm is my guess. You’re still you whether you announce it to the world o no one knows. Give them time to work through it but also let them know that their words are hurtful to you. They may never understand it but they will most likely just stop talking about it and remember to tell you you love them.

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  • Rebecca
    Master August 2019
    Rebecca ·
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    I'm so sorry.

    You do not have to contact anyone who is bashing you, hateful to you, or generally unwilling to love and accept you for who you are - and this goes double for family.

    If they have a problem with you, they should have the spine to say it to your face. If not, they do not get the privilege of your company.

    Only those who love and support you should be at your wedding day. It says far more about them than about you if they are not there.

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  • Margaret
    Master October 2020
    Margaret ·
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    WOW! I'm so sorry you're going through this. Not taking your family's side at all, but not knowing their ages I can only assume they are older and were likely raised differently. Are they religious and is it a sin in their religion to like the same sex? I know you're hurt and rightfully so.

    Long story really short - One of my dearest friends is gay, her religion / church is totally against anything "gay" - She got married without ever telling her family and has been married 5 years - to this day she still doesn't acknowledge her sexuality in front of your immediate family nor do they acknowledge it. The other day she was having marital problems and her mother who is VERY religious reached out to her. When my friend told me this, I asked her was that her mom's way of letting her know she "accepts" her?

    So where am I going with this.... Being gay isn't new, it is still frowned upon in a lot of areas. You have a choice, you can not invite your grandma and aunt or you can talk to them honestly. You can tell them what happened that their conversation was taped and the things they said were awful. You would hope that they would love and accept you for you but if they can't you hope they understand that you can't have them or any negativity at your wedding. And one day you hope that they will come around.

    Love is not one dimensional, we love who we love and find attractive many many different people. If you parents and FH husband accept you for you, it really doesn't matter that others don't. Your parents and FH will always be your greatest supporters and they are the only ones that matter.

    Good luck to you and know you have a community here always willing to listen and help.

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  • M
    Master October 2021
    Mrs.a ·
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    Girl I’m so sorry you have to deal with this. My niece is gay and I’ve even just had to hear the remarks and comments from my family members over the years about it. Now fast forward she is married and my mother refused to be apart of her wedding...even the reception. She would not participate because it goes against her religious beliefs and views. So heart breaking. I’ve talked to her about it, but she is pretty set in her ways. She still loves my niece and supports her otherwise by allowing her and her wife live with them, which I don’t get since she wouldn’t attend their wedding. SMH. I hope you can try to talk and reason with them at least about your feelings and what they’ve said about you.

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  • Liesel
    Beginner May 2021
    Liesel ·
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    This is a little different than your situation but I used to be very close to my Nana (dads mom) and when my parents (finally) got a divorce when I was 20 I found out that my nana had said some really terrible things about my mom to my dads GF (now wife) at the time. I was so angry because she was all talk about how important it was to 'be more like christ' and treat everyone the way you treat yourself and then she said those things. I ended up writing her a very tasteful email explaining my thoughts and basically ended with "I am sorry but as long as you are disrespecting our family, I cannot keep in touch.' She was so hard headed that she didn't even apologize to me. I was very sweet to her at my dads wedding but to be honest I don't respect people who cannot apologize for their mistakes.

    My point is, as difficult as it may be, I really think you should sit down with each one of them and say "Hey look, I need to talk to you about something. This is what I heard and I need to tell you how I feel about it." I really think that you talking with them will at least offer some kind of closure and you will feel good about tackling it before it gets out of hand. They may even feel awful about it.

    If they don't apologize then you can decide what you want to do. For me personally, I can tell you that I do NOT surround myself around people who don't want the best for me. It can cause great anxiety, frustration and hurt. This is YOUR day. People should be spoiling you and feeling happy for you. Don't forget that.

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  • Annika
    Expert November 2020
    Annika ·
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    I'm so sorry to hear that you have unsupportive family. I understand the feeling of not being accepted. I am also bi, and not out to anyone but my close friends and my FH. My family has been members of a very high demand religion for countless generations and I am the first person to leave the church, and because of this my family has lost respect for me and doesn't care to see how I'm doing or whats up in my life, especially concerning my fiance since we obviously won't have a temple wedding. My parents and siblings have started to come around but not much. Because of this I obviously have not come out and I even though it would be nice to be open about it, I would rather not suffer the comments about it since it'll just bring hate. Especially since my fiance is a man and I'm a women so of course "i'm not actually bi." So anyways, I understand somewhat and I am truly sorry. I hope they can come around!!

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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    Sorry you are going through this. Me personally, I wouldn't reach out. The only people that I want at my wedding are the people who love and support me. I do know that some older people are very religious and stuck in their ways (stubborn) but your wedding day is about you and your fiancé. Honestly, no others should matter that day. I say do whatever makes you happy!

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  • Taylor
    Beginner October 2023
    Taylor ·
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    Thank you all for your support. I hate to see so many similar stories tho. You're all loved and definitely deserve to be happy no matter what.
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  • Megan
    Just Said Yes June 2021
    Megan ·
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    I support playing the tape if they want to act like angels when they don't get an invite
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