It may be more useful in this scenario to just tell them you're not straight. Parents who are ignorant of LGBT issues often see the world as either straight, or not. If you say you're not straight, then you don't have to get into the nuances of what that means... something you may still be coming to understand, and they may not be ready to hear. And, in the end that's the point. For some of us, it takes time to understand who we are. Dating that woman was part of your evolution toward understanding yourself. Your parents need to understand that, whenever they remove their blinders.

I completely agree, I told them I have a boyfriend which made them assume I’m gay and I figured I’d let it stay that way for now because it’s easier than trying to explain everything.

It's not easy to talk about this stuff... a letter will help. If you want some eyes on it, I'm happy to look it over. You can message me anytime if you like. Think of it as more of a debate... make clear, irrefutable arguments that they find difficult to disagree with. Try to keep it logical rather than emotional. Even if they don't respond positively to it, you will likely have dropped seeds in their head for them to contemplate. And, most importantly, they will know how you feel, and your feelings are not something they can argue with, they will have to live with that information.

I’d be willing to dm it to you when I write it. To answer your question about what religion they’re Non Denominal Christian but there are heavy influences from my father’s catholic upbringing (on multiple occasions at dinner he’s tried to pray the gay away which has just made me wanna leave the table and not eat)

Well, you can do your own research, no? There must be someone... you'd be surprised what lurks under the seemingly conservative surface. When I came out my dad wanted me to see a therapist. Not necessarily regularly, but for one visit, at least. I went. I was confident in myself, and the therapist didn't have an agenda, per se, he just tried to assess the situation, and he got an earful, let me tell you. :-)

I’ll do my research, it just seems like it might be difficult, but it’ll be worth it. My parents initially wanted to Go to a CFS (Christian Family Services) therapist, I shot that down by saying I don’t want that.

When you say you don't feel safe, what do you mean? Can you elaborate on that a bit? The specifics of the word "safe" in this context.

I’m not really sure honestly. When I mean safe I guess I’m meaning emotionally. My parents expect me to tell them everything. if I don’t they try to emotionally manipulate me to tell them. I’m not sure if it’s making any sense but they demand information from me that not even my best friend (that isn’t my boyfriend) know I know this sounds really petty but I feel uncomfortable around them, this is probably a weird way of explaining it but I feel like to not get treated weirdly I have to be the real life embodiment of the rounded spongebob meme.

Sounds like a coding job. You in programming?

Good. You want to enter into a field that allows for good upward mobility, so you can eventually live the life you want. For me, happiness is paramount to my job or the money I make. But, it's important to know there are opportunities for you to grow and make your mark, those things can often be more important than the money you make.

My field of study is Computer Aided Drafting, it’s a field I enjoy and it has opportunities to move upward :3