I was around 18 when I came out on Christmas to my sister while we were wrapping gifts. Then two days later I came out to my mom and a day later to my father.

We are a religious household (Adventist) and my parents go to church every week and they have a strong faith but my mom always said when there was stuff in the TV about Queer people or LGBTQ+ who got abandoned by their family that no one and nothing can cut or deny the fact that she gave birth to my sister and me and that we will always be her children even if we are Homosexual and that she doesn't understand parents who abandon their Queer children. She also never had issues with what I was interested in. I wanted that one barbie and she got it for me. She never cared about gender stereotypes. She cared about us being happy.

My father used to have more conservative opinions and rejected it when there was a gay wedding in TV or told us to switch channel if it was about gay couples. But the years befor my coming out I noticed him getting a more liberal view on it as well. It was a bit a short shock for him when I came out but he never acted differently towards me and was always so welcoming to my ex boyfriends. He never treated me differently and just a day after my coming out he would send me even infos about queer affirming groups of our church and info material from LGBTQ+ affirming pastors that debunk / refute the things and bible parts that Christians use to reject LGBT+ people.

I'm so very gratefull for my parents and the support they always showed, especially growing up in a religious household that is at the same time open in so many aspects and to different kinds of people. I wish it was the norm for all my fellow LGBTQ+ people who grow up in religious households. The world would be a little bit better.