Side by Side: On Having a Gay or Lesbian Sibling

How would you react if your brother or sister came out to you?

I'm proud to have been the first to know.

My conservative upbringing contributed to the notion that John’s behavior was sinful. The first thought I had about it was that my brother had somehow been misdirected, involving himself in the wrong crowd. How could he be gay? I was convinced we all had to help him overcome this problem. I equated being gay with having a mental disorder and thought maybe we should send him to a therap...