On August 19, 60 Minutes did a segment on being gay in a heterosexual marriage and the impact it has on the person, their partner and children. Millions around Australia got a look into a situation faced by 1,000’s of men and women around the world.
Dads coming out
Reporter: Ray Martin
Producer: Alex Hodgkinson
Once "gay" was just an adjective that meant happy. Now, for most of us it means Mardi Gras, Priscilla and Elton John. In truth, it's often more complex, less flamboyant and much closer to home. Try next door, for a start. Here in Australia, there are thousands of men living ordinary, suburban lives — a wife, a couple of kids, a mortgage. But they're also living a lie, hiding the fact that they're gay.
Not that this is anything new. What is new, though, is that more and more married men are coming out, admitting they're gay. And you can't begin to imagine what that means, what happens to a family when dad falls in love with another man.
The story had an immediate response and you can read the hour-long chat I had with viewers after the show here.
Dads coming out Part 1
Dads coming out Part 2
Labels: a life of unlearning, ex-gay, married and gay, reparative therapy, videos