When Paulette Thomas-Martin, an artist living in New York City, came out to her three kids 30 years ago, they were mostly grown. Thomas-Martin had been in the process of reckoning with her sexuality for many years, and felt she was ready to share it with her kids. “I told them individually,” she explains, “and my son was very angry. He stopped talking to me. My older daughter professed her homophobia. My youngest daughter said she loved me and she wanted to be just like me, but not gay.” It wasn’t easy to hear, but Thomas-Martin recognized the space her children needed in order to wrap their heads around this new information. [..]
Click here to read the full piece. This story was originally published by Parents Magazine on June 14, 2023.
