I am finally ready to tell the world - I am straight!  I can now admit that I am attracted to the opposite sex.  I am not sure how the rest of my family are going to react to this, however I feel the need to be honest with them about the way I feel. I have been trying to hide it for so long and have been so confused.  For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me and I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about it.  My friends just didn’t seem to understand and have always teased me about being attracted to men. For a long time I have fought it and tried to be “normal”, but I just can’t stand it anymore. It is time to be honest to myself and my family and friends.  I know that my mother loves me, but what if this changes the way she feels about me?  What if she decides that I am sick and depraved and she refuses to accept it? What if my father disowns me?  What if my brothers and sister hate me for it?

I want to be able to get married and have children and work in a place that will accept my sexuality.  What if I am not able to do these things? What if someone at work finds out and bullies me into giving up my job? What if politicians refuse to allow me the right to marry the man I love?  What if the laws of the land won’t allow me to have children with a man?  Do I stay and fight for my rights, or find another country that will not discriminate against me and my partner? What if there are people that are so intolerant of my differences that they become violent?

OK - so I am straight.  I am actually a straight mother of 3 children, 1 gay and 2 straight.  I am married to a straight man and have straight parents.  He also has straight parents and a straight sister that is married to another straight man.  I have 2 brothers that are straight and a sister that is straight.  

So - what is my point?  The reality is that I don’t have to worry about revealing my sexuality to anyone.  I have never had an awkward conversation with anyone about being a hetrosexual.  I wasn’t concerned that my parents would reject me. I didn’t have to worry about not being able to be married to the person I loved.  I wasn’t restricted by any laws when it came to having children - even when I was 18 and a single mother! I didn’t spend my teenage years being confused and wondering how every single person in my life would react if I revealed my sexuality.

I grew up assuming I had the right to get married and have children.  I never for a moment had to consider my sexuality when it came to choosing a job (ok - sometimes my gender came into .. but that’s another story for another day!!). My question is very simple.  Why should one of my sons have to worry about any of these things?  My other son and daughter can take these things for granted.  I took them for granted. 

My son is a wonderful, loving, supportive, intelligent, gorgeous, fun loving person that is growing into a very thoughtful and inspiring man.  He has the right to be treated with the same respect and have the same rights as my other two children or myself. 

I love all my children equally.  They are all awesome, wonderful people.  They all deserve a life full of love with their life partners and whatever children they choose to have. Support Gay Marriagehttp://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/ and allow my son to have the same rights as any other 18 year old man in Australia.