Thank You for Understanding

To my parents-

They said, "That's so gay!" and "He's a fag."

And they meant it.

I had never encountered kids like them before. I thought, 'it'll be easier if they just don't know'

I didn't lie exactly. I didn't tell the truth either.

When I said,

"Why don't we just put one of your names on the contact list" and "It's silly for you to buy plane tickets to watch me play, I'll just go to this tournament by myself." You knew why.

I know it hurt you. It hurt me too.

I'm not writing this letter to apologize; I'm writing it to say thank you.

Thank you for understanding when I did what I had to do to feel safe, and for never asking me to apologize.

-Anonymous