In a recent Reddit post, a user shared their journey of standing up against homophobia and reclaiming his happiness at family gatherings. Here’s the full story.
His Cousin Was a Menace
The original poster (OP) has a younger cousin, Paul, who has been a long-standing source of distress and disrespect in his life.
Paul is an alcoholic and has shown up intoxicated to basically every family gathering since he was 17.
His Cousin Bullied Him
Growing up, OP recounts being subjected to Paul’s mistreatment, with Paul seemingly taking pleasure in making OP his “punching bag.”
Their Family Didn’t Care
OP’s family, to some extent, seemed to overlook Paul’s problematic behavior, dismissing it as a phase that he would eventually outgrow.
He Came Out
Feeling powerless, OP endured this emotional toll until he found a glimmer of hope in a newfound revelation.
OP decided to come out as gay.
It was a significant moment of personal acceptance.
His Cousin Was Homophobic
But this revelation also shedded light on Paul’s painfully homophobic nature.
Witnessing Paul’s disrespect toward a trans family friend at an after-funeral dinner only confirmed OP’s suspicions.
He Introduced His Boyfriend
The story began when OP introduced his boyfriend to a family gathering.
His Cousin Became Uncomfortable
Suddenly, Paul became visibly uncomfortable and distanced himself, allowing OP to enjoy a holiday free from Paul’s usual taunts.
Paul just stayed with other family members who weren’t in the same room as OP.
He Experimented
Recognizing the power he held in this situation, OP started experimenting with the dynamic and realized that Paul’s discomfort was directly linked to his partner’s presence.
His Older Cousin Found It Funny
While OP’s older cousin, Alexa, found humor in this “homophobic avoidance strategy,” not everyone found it funny.
His Sister Was Against It
The story took a turn when OP’s sister found out what was happening.
She took issue with the approach, claiming that weaponizing sexuality against Paul was unfair and not morally superior to Paul’s mistreatment of OP.
He Defended Himself
But OP argued that Paul had been doing the same to him for years!
What OP was doing wasn’t hurting him, and it had actually made family gatherings fun to go to since he didn’t have to worry about being bullied by Paul.
She Threatened to Tell
But that only made his sister incredibly angry.
Now, she’s threatening to tell Paul that it was intentional.
He Wonders if He’s in the Wrong
OP doesn’t care if she tells Paul, but he took to Reddit to ask whether he was in the wrong in the whole situation.
More than a thousand comments poured in saying that OP was well within his rights.
“Your Sister Sounds Homophobic”
One Reddit user wrote, “NTA Your sister sounds homophobic though. There’s no other good reason for her to be mad about this.”
Another Redditor commented, “NTA. No, having your partner around you is in no way similar to him bullying you and picking on you. You’ve finally found an effective way to shut down your bully. Kind of sounds like your sister liked watching you be hurt and is disappointed it no longer happens.”
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The post His Cousin Was Homophobic, so He Made Him Intentionally Uncomfortable first appeared on Career Step Up.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / ViDI Studio. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit
