Today, I went to go see Avenue Q with the "not really in-laws since it isn't legalized". Had a fun time. My partner's family is so loving and accepting of their children and their children's significant others. Two sons. One gay. Both have families. Both are treated with the same respect. It's really special. It's really nice. It's also really quite surreal since my family has a hard time with my homosexuality. It's known. It's not discussed. It's really avoided.

I think about how different our backgrounds are. How different our familes are. Liberals and Conservatives. One family who has shunned religion. The other who are devout Catholics. I still love my parents. I still love my sister. We still talk often. They occasionally ask about Mike. They have met him. They like him. He likes them. They've even mentioned how much they enjoyed vacationing with him in Hawaii. My Mom and sister even took a day trip with him. We had dinner together everyday. They just can't seem to take the next step. Even my supposedly liberal sister does things that surprise me. Things that prove to me that she really is not comfortable with my sexual preference.

I'm not sad. I'm not mad. It's not that I don't care. I've spent too much emotion and energy trying to get myself out of the closet. Trying to get myself to accept who I am. I don't feel like I need to spend any energy on trying to get others to accept me. Even if they are my immediate family. I went down that road for me. Not for others. Would it be nice if it were different? Yes. Would it make my life much better if it were different? No. I think my life is at it's best already. I also know how my family thinks. I don't want them to do anything they don't want to. They feel the same way for me.

Mike wishes he had "not really in-laws since it isn't legalized". He knows that it won't change. He wishes it were different. He says so. Sometimes I think it would make him very happy. It would make me happy. No. Correction. It would make me happier. Later.
  ¶ 11:24 PM