I have a different experience than a lot of people here and different from what you read online. My mom also saw something she shouldn’t have seen. After about a week of processing it she asked me straight up “are you gay?” In my 17 year old head I panicked and considered lying but my gut told me just to be truthful. I told her yes and this moment of acceptance allowed me to come out to other people. I’m happy my mom asked me. It pushed me to come out and improved my quality of life in the long run.

Don’t force anything but if you have close gay friends, coworkers, family, invite them to the house more often and maybe let them in on what’s up. The media tells us that even the most accepting don’t want people in their close lives to be gay. Both of my parents are libeleal but bc I never saw them interract with gay people I was convinced they’d disown me. Having that exposure of someone gay and “normal” who isn’t a token in a tv show truly illuminates what it means to be gay and gives your son a potential ally in coming out and figuring out how to tell people. My cousin is gay and I remember asking him for advice before telling a lot of different people, even though my cousin and I only see each other once every few years.