Proud Mom Published An Ad When Her Son Came Out

There are few things more absolutely heartwarming that seeing unconditional love at work: A Texan mom wrote an ad to declare her son is gay, and though the gesture itself seems to be profound enough, there's a long background story that makes it that much more amazing.

It's easy to love kids when they're evolving to be precisely who you envisioned, and it's easy to love our partners when they aren't asking much of us, and it's easy to be accepting when we don't think someone else's identity means something about us or our competence. This is why "coming out to your parents" is known for being such an ordeal. Unfortunately, many people are not as open-minded (or rather, they are scared that their tactical skills have failed them in pro-creating an offspring that has completely matched their ideal).

This is why it's so incredibly important to celebrate and share the moments when people are able to look beyond themselves and exemplify what love really means. And one Snohomish, Texas mom recently did just that. When her son Drake came out to her, she decided to go above and beyond to prove that she was not just accepting, but that she was going to teach other people just how it's done, too. She published a funny (yet completely sweet) announcement in the Houston Chronicle, formally announcing the news:

"The parents of Drake are pleased to announce that their son, has come out. Drake is currently a senior in high school where he is captain of the tennis team, ASB Vice President, and NHS member. He is a church deacon and enjoys film making and baking. And yes, he adores Barbra Streisand."

While this seems like the perfect combination of delightfully, parentally embarrassing (it's all in good fun) as well as incredibly supportive, there's even more than meets the eye: the real reason the family put the ad in the paper was because Houston recently voted to repeal HERO – Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. According to the Texas Observer, it "prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and 13 other characteristics." Rather than be completely dismayed by the news, people like Joan Wilson are taking action in new and creative ways.

“As a mother, I have much trepidation in thinking my son might one day live in a state such as Texas," she told the Texas Observer . “We are blessed to live in a state which has passed anti-discrimination laws... I couldn’t think of a better place than Houston, out of the entire country, where they needed to hear my message of pride,” Joan Wilson said. “My announcement was my way of humanizing the issue.”

If you aren't already a big fan of Drake and his family, there's more for you to check out. Below was the original video where Drake announced his "coming out" back in 2014.

Images: Pixabay