Disowned

[Borg69]

While I'm sure there are a TON of totally awesome and respectable things about your country (and surrounding countries), from my American Atheist point of view they have a lot of... evolving... for lack of a better term... to do in the way of freedoms and human rights. Which isn't to say my own country couldn't use some too - but we're getting there. We've come a long way in the last 200 years. Unfortunately your country(s) hasn't changed much in the last 3,000 years in it's views.

I'm sad to say that I don't see them changing in your lifetime. My advice would be to take the good parts and customs with you and move out for your own safety, piece of mind, and well being.

In many ways, you're kind of like that guy who posted a thread here recently whom recently found out he was a product of his mother being raped. As I told him, you're more than the sum of your heritage and lineage. You're an awesome human being, regardless of where you started out in life. Where you end up is totally up to you to make of it what you want. You're not responsible for the sins of your father(s), and you can be better than they could ever think of being.

[BlueStar]

Speeches like these are heard too frequently by you and me to even care about. Though I feel what it is like to be betrayed by your very own fellows, so I feel with you...

You're awesome. I know you're frustrated, and so am I. But there's always hope somewhere, you just have to seek it.

[CaptainAwesome]

Dude I feel for you.

Here's my two cents:
It's always the environment that influences what you think. I speak from personal experience; Two or three years back it use to get to me whenever homosexuality was being spoken about as a sin etc. (I was brought up in an Indian household so you can imagine). It took a while before I developed a thick skin but it helps. Just ignore any BS and love yourself for who you are. Being gay is awesome.

[CellarDweller]

I'm sorry that you had to hear that. It's a bunch of bullshit, and you are fine just as you are.

I hope that one day, this is a non-issue for everyone.

[MikeW]

... Thinking if people actually found out about my sexual orientation, would this happen to me? The fact that I communicate with my dad on different levels makes me think that he wouldn't even hesitate to do this to me. Feeling like I would be (Don't even know if I already am) Disowned by my family, friends, society, culture and religion just kills me.

When I was growing up I feared very much the same thing ... not literally being thrown off a mountain BUT in the 1950s when I was a boy homosexuality was considered a mental disorder. A family could have a child (or another adult for that matter) committee to a mental institution (imprisoned), even given electroshock treatment (torture). The fear is justified but be careful with this:

Which ultimately makes me question the reason of my existence on this planet in the first place? Which makes me question if I was gonna get murdered in such a cruel way for wanting to show affection to another person regardless of his gender but because eventually he is a human being and I want to communicate my feelings to him then I get thrown off of a mountain? Why don't straight people get thrown off of a mountain too? Or is it because we are against the usual nature of mother nature? Well, I say FUCK mother nature. It makes me angry to hear about this punishment today and I was born this way (In other words, I cannot help wanting it up my butt!!). This is just plain bullcrab and devastating!

Yes, it is bullcrap and devastating INSIDE us; it makes us feel like we have to hide ourselves (you do for now), like we have to pretend to be something we're not (you do for now), like we do not truly belong to the society and cultural heritage we were born into. Yes, this is "devastating" to one's sense of self -- not to mention one's sense of self-worth.

So, be very careful with the self-worth part, the "makes me question the reason of my existence on this planet" part... Be very very careful and gentle with yourself here. This isn't easy to understand precisely BECAUSE there is very little in the world around you that acknowledges you, supports you, embraces you, and gives you good and proper guidance.

Yes, you feel angry -- for good reason. You also feel bereft -- for good reason. These are deep feelings an they are justified in the face of this kind of bigotry. But you are here to face this in yourself. You are here to learn to hear these lies and not believe them. You are here to learn to see another truth, a truth others around you can not (yet) see. This is how evolution works -- whether we're talking evolution of a person, a culture or a species. EVERYONE faces adversity of one sort or another. Everyone.

You're fine. There's nothing wrong with you. That's all you need to know, really. The rest if will come, little by little as you grow and learn.

[Bhp91126]

I'm very sorry that you have to go through this. Even in cultures where being gay is not dangerous, many gay men weed out disapproving friends/family from their life over time. Being gay is difficult enough, nobody needs to complicate life through further interaction with bigots and haters.

For the time being, I hope you can find gay friends with whom you can be who you are and limit your exposure to friends you can't count on. This sounds probably like the end of the world to you, but why would you want to waste further time on them?

Being gay is neither good nor bad, it's completely up to you what you make out of yourself. You had absolutely no choice of the matter, but you've already accepted yourself (be proud of that!!!) and know that the "official opinion" is complete bullshit.
You know better!
You are the living proof that gay people are good people too!

We are always here for you if you need to vent, rage, cry, laugh, flirt, joke, ask for advice etc.

Aren't men hot? The best? Sexy? Addictive?

[Albie]

This topic makes me sad. You are much stronger than I am. If I were in that situation, I would only have one goal and that is to somehow get as far away as physically possible.