I'm from a very conservative Irish family and they do not know I am gay. My family has been trying to set me up with just about any Irish girl in the area, so for my senior prom last year, I invited a very nice girl that I know to go with me--by the way she is black. She knows I'm gay and I told her right off that I just wanted her to go with me to get my parents off my back. I also told her that my dad would probably have a heart attack because she was black. She said she was OK with that as long as I didn't blame her for killing my father.

Well, my parents wanted me to bring her by before the dance so they could meet her, I did not tell them she was black. When I got her back to the house, my mom and sisters where all--ummmm, ok, ummmm and didn't know what to say, but they were as polite as they possibly could be, but my father took one look at her and said: "I'd have wished you were gay before I saw yas bringing home the likes of one like her." I just looked back at him and said: "Good! I'm glad you understand. I am gay."

My mom passed out on the floor, my dad had a panic attack and had to have the paramedics come, and my sisters grabbed their phones and told all their friends.

I'm out now, and nobody gives me any grief about it.