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Originally Posted by infopop
It's so familiar, what was said and what wasn't said. When I came out to my father in in the mid-1980s he, a former Air Force officer, said he'd "known guys who did this" or words to that effect and was OK with me. I didn't ask more about it, he didn't tell
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In some respects "don't ask don't tell" was not just a military stance - it was the way of the world for generations. "Uncle Bob" wasn't gay - he was your "bachelor uncle".
I am sure my parents had their suspicions why Steve and I spent the night at each others house so much - but it was never talked about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by infopop
There was no mention of his being Catholic and going to church every Sunday and my being brought up that way, nor the Church's teachings. It was the same thing as when he and I had talked about masturbation in the 1970s. Part of the Catholic heritage, I think, recognized that "the flock" did not always live by the admonitions from on high but also lived by their own conscience and decisions, whether sub rosa or vocally. That became even moreso after Vatican II in the early 60s.
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A couple of years ago a friend down the street who is VERY Catholic and I were talking about TV and she mentioned how much she and her husband laughed at an episode of Parenthood where the teenage son was taking long and frequent showers... as their son did the same thing. I made some stupid comment about "but that is a Catholic no-no" and she just said "we gave up on that one a long time ago - you pick your battles" and I thought for a woman who has told me she and her husband waited for their wedding night I was glad she was not trying to go crazy with ancient dogma for her son....