Wishful thinking?

There is a certain air of nervousness, something that you can’t see, but one that’s definitely in the air, when my folks and I talk during the weekly phone calls they make. They’d ask what my sister and I have been up to lately, if we have gone to visit relatives, how the peso-dollar exchange rate behaves, what items we plan to order, if we have used up all the Spam they sent in the last box, how my rowing training proceeds and if we have upcoming competitions, where we hangout usually after work, if we have any news about their friends, what the maid cooks for us, or what’s inside the refrigerator’s freezer.

The list goes on and on. Regrettably, it’s never about the person behind my name, the life I live outside work and home, what I pray for during my quiet time, what drives me to work each day, why I can never give them a grandchild, the reasons I hold behind that choice, my previous relationships, where I go when I date, what they have to say about gay relationships, how they feel about having a gay son, what they would hope to reasonably see in the future.

I pray for this: That my parents will cultivate a kind of bravery in their hearts to challenge myths and all outdated ideas they have grown accustomed to, and finally understand how most of us long for acceptance, not just tolerance.

I pray for this also: That they may stumble upon these links. And afterwhich, head out to attend the next PFLAG gathering.

Pinoy Gays
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