Thank you to Argus Newspaper for providing space to share my story about Gay Pride and honoring my late father before Father’s Day. Join me in celebrating love, resilience, and remembrance.
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I never really had much time to spend with my father because he wasn’t truly a father to me and my siblings. We were raised by our single mother, who is now deceased. My mother was a powerful woman—strong, determined, and unwavering in her convictions. However, there was one formidable opponent she couldn’t defeat: cancer. To this day, I don’t fully understand that disease. As a school teacher at a local Missouri public school, I’ve seen its devastating impact firsthand.
I’m sharing my story with the Argus Newspaper to shed light on the reasons behind certain things in life. You see, I am a gay man. I believe I am fairly attractive and am not very sexually active, but I have dated many men since my college days in Georgia.
I take pride in being selective, and I support Pride activities wholeheartedly. I even keep a rainbow flag in my car. At school in the county, everyone knows I am gay.
My brothers always joked that Dad left home because he was ashamed of me being out and proud. While Dad did start drinking and treating my mom very badly, she insisted that it had nothing to do with me or the kids. Deep down, I believe she was mistaken, and my brothers’ perspective was more accurate. This kind of thing happens often—though I think, especially among wealthy families, they sometimes turn their children into trans individuals, in my opinion!
I’ve never really celebrated Father’s Day; I’ve always hated it. To me, my late mother was both mother and father until her last breath, taken by that monstrous disease. Then, my aunt Gloria—my father’s sister, whom I’ve always admired—called me from St. Louis. She told me I needed to see about my father. I knew he had a history of being abusive and an alcoholic, and now he was seriously ill in the hospital. Being the most sensitive of his five children—three with my mother—I decided to make the trip to Missouri to visit him.
It was hard to see him like that. He had liver cancer that had metastasized to his bones. It hurt me deeply because this handsome man in his late 60s resembled myself. Cancer had taken its toll on his body. As his middle child, and since no one else seemed willing or able to care for him, I decided to use all my savings and move back to Missouri. Georgia had been kind to me, but my father needed me.
And God called me home. My aunt owned a large house in the city, and she kindly allowed us to use it for his hospice care, because he truly wanted to pass peacefully. He felt he had wronged his wife, my mother, but I told him to just relax and not worry about the past. My dad lived for about a year after entering hospice, which was a blessing, as the doctor had initially given him only five months. My cousins all agreed that God kept his spirits alive just long enough for him to experience the kindness of his son, me.
The sad part is that none of my siblings visited him, but they supported me by sending money and supplies I needed during his hospice at home. So, on this day—celebrate your pride, celebrate Father’s Day, and never hold grudges. Remember, there is always someone who cares, even when others do not.
I want to thank the Argus Newspaper for allowing me this space to share my story today. Blessings!
Father’s Day in the United States is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. This special day honors fatherhood and the positive role that fathers and father figures play in the lives of their children and families.
Gay Pride, or more broadly LGBTQ+ Pride, is a time for celebration, self-affirmation, and advocacy for the rights and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people. It’s a movement that has grown from small protests to large, vibrant festivals and parades, commemorating the legacy of activists and continuing the fight for equality.Â
Gay Pride, Father’s Day, personal story, LGBTQ+ support, remembering dad, abuse awareness, family, gratitude, community, advocacy
#GayPride #FathersDay #RememberingDad #LGBTQ+ #FamilyLove #Resilience #CommunitySupport #Gratitude #Advocacy #LoveIsLove
