Who Is Your Nearest Gay Relation?

[arwalden]

By "nearest", I mean "distance-down-the-family-tree-branches". (Not "distance down the road" or living "just in the next county".)

Other than myself... I have lesbian first cousin and a gay uncle.

[XemaSab]

1. There's nobody "out" in my family.

:shrug:

[HEyHEY]

2. My Mom's cousin's son is gay

I've never met him. I don't even know if that counts as related.

[flvegan]

3. My brother.

I consider his partner family as well, so I'd also add my brother-in-law.

[Dave Reynolds]

4. No one,

but my father's side of the family is all dead, and I have little or no contact with my mother's side.

[xmas74]

5. No one is out yet

but I have my suspicions and have let it be known that I am very warm to the idea of someone coming out.

Otherwise, I have a very close gay friend (one of my daughter's godfathers) whom my daughter calls her uncle.

[gollygee]

6. One cousin, one uncle

that I'm aware of. I have a large extended family and we aren't all close so there could be more.

[Left Is Write]

7. No one I know of, but...

I have my suspicions about an older relative who has since passed away.

[joeybee12]

8. Two gay cousins...that makes 3, all on Mom's side, and all are

the youngest child. Hmmmmm..........

[djeseru]

9. My father's sister.

And I've "adopted" my very good friend Ken, whose own family excludes him from holiday occasions. I'd rather have him than my own family members, honestly.

[Science Of Myth]

10. Everybody suspects one of my (many) cousins

and the one time I met him he certainly seemed gay but, who knows?

[eyesroll]

11. Nobody is out in my close family, but I have a distant, elderly cousin

who I see once every 10-15 years, if that, at family events, who comes to these events with a female partner, but it is not discussed.

My father believes his late uncle was gay.

[ThomCat]

12. None that I know of.

But my family is very good not speaking of/to people for decades at a time. I'm sure there's someone I'll never know about.

[Deja Q]

13. Aunt

[Bunny]

14. My brother.

[philosophie_en_rose]

15. My first cousin is a lesbian.

.

[mondo joe]

16. Other than myself, my mother's 2 brothers.

What a queer little family they (we) are! ;-)

[politicat]

17. me, then a cousin.

I'm bi, he's gay.

There have been a lot of quiet partnerships in the family over the years ("maiden ladies", bachelors with "roommates" or "housemates") but central Indiana is not a good place to be out.

He's in Chicago, the lucky thing.

[progmom]

18. my brother...

...and, as it turns out....me. :shrug:

[Rowdyboy]

19. Mom's first cousin "Cub"......He's 70 and was a wild child back in the day

Spent most of his adult life in gay community of Mobile

[yewberry]

20. Two of my moms are.

Nice how that worked out, huh?

[Hugin]

21. None that I know of...

[ET Awful]

22. Lesbian first cousin.

No others that I know of.

[khashka]

23. Okey dokey

Well apart from me.....

A great uncle who killed himself (although no one believes that, even the police think he was murdered for being gay)
Another great-uncle who has been in a life long relationship with a guy named Mr. Wilson (I've never figured out why he is never referred to by his first name????)
An uncle in New Mexico who runs a bed and breakfast. Swears he's bi, but he's never been in a relationship with a woman.
A cousin who died from AIDS - he was a sweet man.

Not many lesbians, eh? But I swear by all the gods I am certain my grandmother was a lesbian. There's a lot of evidence.....

Khash.

[arwalden]

37. You Know...

I often wonder if closeted gays and lesbians... who pretend to be straight (and follow all the "rules" and get married and have children) are responsible for passing along the gay gene. And could it be that without them procreating, would gay folks just dwindle out of existence? Who knows?


~Allen

[terrya]

24. I have a gay cousin who's a total creep

I haven't talked to him for several years now. And I don't miss it or him a bit.

[jonnyblitz]

25. my first cousin cathy is a lesbian and, of course, I am gay. nt

[yvr girl]

26. They suspect that my great-uncle was gay

He was never out, was married and had a family. I'm not sure what the suspicions are based on. I don't recall ever meeting him.

[MissB]

27. Brother.

[Orsino]

28. None that I know of. n/t

[JackBeck]

29. Me, and then my husband

[khashka]

72. LOL

I have a friend who was engaged to be married. A week before the wedding he came to her and said they were going to have to call it off. Because he was gay. Her response? "Thank God. I'm a lesbian but I didn't know how to tell you."

Your post reminded me of that :)

Khash.

[JackBeck]

90. And your post reminds me of my first prom date.

We had been friends for years, but never dated. She asked me to the prom, and of course I said, "yes". We never fooled around or anything, not even a kiss. We were friends, but not with benefits, which was fine by me. Years later, when our paths crossed, it turns out she's a lesbian. To me it just all made sense why we had been friends and why we went to the prom together.

My guy and I got married in San Francisco during the whole legalized marriage period two years ago around this time. Even though we have a marriage certificate from SF, it's been nullified. It's still cool to look at, though, and have an otherwise legal document that says we're married!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

30. my brother and i are both bi.

well my bi-ness is in debate. but his is on solid ground.

[KittyWampus]

31. No One, actually. Unless we include my ex husband

[Ravenseye]

32. None

My brother-in-law's wife's sister was gay for like ten years, then decided she wasn't, and her girlfriend for most of that time is still LIKE family, but nobody blood on either of my parents sides, and it's a pretty big family.

[redwitch]

33. lesbian first cousin

why do you ask?

It's good to see your posts again, you went missing for quite awhile, did you not?

[nini]

34. a brother

.

[SeattleGirl]

35. None the I am aware of

Doesn't mean I don't have any, but if I do, they haven't come out and/or I haven't figured it out.

[LostinVA]

36. Me

[Lydia Leftcoast]

38. One first cousin is a lesbian

That's on my dad's side of the family. If there are any on my mother's side, they are neither out nor obvious.

[graywarrior]

39. Beats me. Everyone in my family is crazy so they stay away from me

[unsavedtrash]

40. me and one of my sisters n/t

[WCGreen]

41. I have a deprogrammed step brother....

I have three cousins that are gay....

[arwalden]

43. Oh, Dear!

How's he doing? One of my good friends was "deprogrammed" and "de-gayed" TWICE... and both times were TRULY devastating for him. Those ex-gay organizations are truly wrecking people's lives.

[WCGreen]

45. I haven't talked to him in years....

And he has gone to the dark side...

Fundies....

[CatholicEdHead]

42. Deceased Aunt and second cousin were/are lesbians

[Catch22Dem]

44. Uncle. A USMC Vietnam vet

He was one of the few "tunnel rats" we had. He's a real small guy. This crazy motherfucker would crawl through the tunnels with a flashlight, a knife, and a pistol, (and maybe a grenade) and ended up volunteering for another tour there.

[Nikia]

46. My mothers cousin is a lesbian

Her parents freaked out when she announced her sexuality and moved in with her girlfriend. As a result, she and her girlfriend disappeared for a few years, not contacting her family except once indirectly so they knew she was alive.
When she came back, they were more supportive of her.
All my aunts and uncles are married as are all of my cousins of marriageable age (except the one in prision and the one who just divorced). My sister, although not married, is heterosexual. My half siblings are still young, 15 or younger. Many of my cousins are still young also.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

47. None that I know of now

but there's a whole new generation coming up.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

48. My first cousin....

And my half brother. He's also a crackhead con artist, but that's another story for another day.
Duckie

[ronnykmarshall]

49. My hand

[arwalden]

56. Oooph!

:rofl: :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

50. Rest in Peace, My Beloved Uncle Bob...

My dad's brother...who lived his entire life in secret, at least from his family. He was afraid, sadly, of what his brothers would think. We didn't find out "for sure" until after his death. They called my father and asked if he was Robert Paulsen's brother. My father said yes, and the hospital informed him that he had died of complications from AIDS and hung up. :cry:

The only bright spot, is that my father found out at his memorial just how many friends he had...that he wasn't alone and had quite an extended family.

I cry every time I watch Longtime Companion because it reminds me so much of him. :(

[arwalden]

62. ~

:hug: Thanks for sharing that. I haven't watched Longtime Companion in YEARS and YEARS... it's just too much.

[ScreamingMeemie]

71. It is a really tough movie to watch. My Uncle Bob was the kind of

Uncle who would call out of the blue, show up out of the blue...he would send birthday cards with a 100 dollar bill in them...back when a hundred dollars was a fortune. He was a Sheriff's Deputy with the city of San Francisco. I miss him so very much. :hug:

[Bullwinkle925]

51. My step-son.

[Samurai_Writer]

52. I don't have any that I know of...

but I highly suspect my 40 year old, homophobic, never-been-on-a-date-with-a-man-and-is-still-a-virgin sister.

Edited to add: My brother and I are both bisexual. Does that count?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

68. so are my brother and i.

[sadinred]

53. my father is. my husband's neice is.

there's a DUer in the lounge with a gay bowl of cereal he/she has adopted and is raising! :shrug: :bounce:

link to cereal:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4782850

[u4ic]

54. None that I know of

I'm sure there's some, but I have a huge family - I have 40 first cousins alone - and have met less than a quarter of them.

[Magrittes Pipe]

55. No idea.

My mother's uncle never married, lived with his mother all his life, and died of a rare form of leukemia in 1984. So Louie was a possibility. I honestly don't think any of my living close relatives are gay.

Coming out isn't exactly encouraged in Springfield, OH. :(

[DawgHouse]

57. My brother.

[tarkus]

58. My uncle

I wonder what percentage of people in the world have gay uncles...

[ashling]

59. My little brother

he died AIDS in 1997

[La Lioness Priyanka]

60. so sorry to hear that

[SaveElmer]

61. Sister...and 1st Cousin...nt

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

63. My niece in Colorado.

She's mastered the art of living off of disability, even though she HAS no disability.

She's mastered the art of filling out government forms in order to receive a regular check.

She OWNS a home in Colorado Springs. She has never WORKED a DAY in her LIFE. She just...effing...knows...how...to...fill...out...government...forms.

For a FAKE-ASS "disability" that she DOES NOT HAVE.

She is not a nice person. That has absolutely nothing to do with her sexuality, but she really, really, really is NOT a nice person.

Needless to say, I do not have my niece on speed dial.

If you know the story of how the band Steely Dan got its name, that's my niece.

:patriot:

[Whoa_Nelly]

64. My brother

and before that, my dad

[nevergiveup]

65. My older brother

and best friend....Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force.....Vietnam Vet.....passed away of AIDS in 1990

[La Lioness Priyanka]

66. sorry to hear that

[Merrick]

67. My cousin

has been out for probably 15 years as far as I know. Most of us could care less whether she's gay or not but we have a few fundies on my mother's side (which is the side she's from) who I'm sure silently strongly disapprove.

[johnnie]

69. Cousin

He hasn't officially "come out" to the family, but everyone knows and it doesn't matter. That's what is cool about my family, we are who we are and it never really becomes an issue. There is no need for him to come out because it isn't an issue.

[baldguy]

70. My sister

and her partner, by marriage (they live in Boston)

[Midlodemocrat]

73. My family has no gay members that I know of.

Doesn't mean they aren't there, however.

[Rosie1223]

74. First Cousin, once removed.

[kick-ass-bob]

75. I really don't know.

I don't keep up with that - so no one that I can think of off the top of my head.

[hedgehog]

76. My daughter and my late cousin

When my daughter came out, I told her that she didn't have to move to Milwaukee. She had no idea what I was talking about. That's what my cousin did. He was sort of out, but no one talked about it. He was home for Christmas the year before he died, and I am forever grateful another cousin called me up and insisted I visit. I thought my uncle was dying. I nearly passed out when I walked in and didn't recognize my cousin at first because he'd lost so much weight. We all pretended nothing was wrong and had a good time, and I cried all the way home. When he died the next November, one of my aunts indicated that she had had no idea that he had been ill. How's that for denial?

[tjwmason]

77. None of whom I know.

But we're not in touch with very many relatives.

Apparently, I'm the rainbow-sheep of the family.

[southlandshari]

78. My brother, arwalden

Haven't seen him in forever.

:hug:

[noonwitch]

79. None that I know of

I suspect one of my mom's cousins is gay, but who really cares?

[RetroLounge]

80. Is Wife close enough for ya?

:shrug:

RL

[LibertyLover]

81. Two first cousins

both from the same family of 9 children. The male cousin lives and works in Nashville and the female cousin and her partner live in Seattle. Their daughter is in her 2nd year in college. Male cousin is partnerless as far as I know, unfortunately. His parents haven't mentioned him being partnered with anyone and he never brings anyone to family reunions. We all wish he would find someone special to share his life.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

82. No one out.

Sorry!! :shrug: :popcorn:

[Alleycat]

83. First cousin is out

He is happy, in a relationship, and successful. I think maybe there is one other, a different cousin's daughter although no one can confirm for sure, but she has some "issues" as my Aunt describes them.

[applegrove]

84. Don't know anyone who is. Then again I don't know them all personally.

[Trigger Hippie]

85. Well, I have a strong suspicion my uncle, a priest,

is gay. He loves Ab Fab, Abba and Queen. He is very flamboyant. Of course, I could never confront him about it or my mother (his sister) about it either.

[Heidi]

86. As I consider all sentient beings my relations,

I guess every gay being on earth is my nearest gay relation. :)

I don't really think too much about people's sexuality, unless someone's using sexuality as a platform for exacerbating the suffering of sentient beings. Then, I get :grr:

[Dukkha]

87. my hand

:D

[fleabert]

88. two in the family that aren't out yet...

one cousin and one great aunt. I doubt either will ever come out fully, both of their families are awful.

OT- I have been wondering, we have ten couples that we consider close friends, and five of them are same sex couples, I think that is above average for a straight couple (esp. one where both were raised in right-wing Texan families)- anyway, I was called a 'fag hag' in my single days, so what would you call it when a straight gets old and married and loves loves loves the gays? ;-)

[kwassa]

89. No one in my family that I know of

I had two friends that died of AIDs-related diseases, though.

[Beausoir]

91. Wow. Nobody that I know of. No one is out.

I have a small family.