One of my closest friends is gay. He is scared to come out out of fear of being shunned by his family. Conservative background and orthodox practices and stuff.
He tells that his dad is 85. And he would rather see his dad, in his possibly last years, being happy and smiling and talking rather than the polar opposite.
Coming from a similar background myself, I see his point. But if his dad lives to be 105, that's another 20 years from today. How much time would he have lost in pretending something he is not?!?
I feel bad for him and his dad at the same time. We just avoid talking about this topic as we both know there is no solution to it because, at 85, his dad is not going to change his mindset.
I see pride month and the likes as a method to show every single human that it's the acceptance that the LGBTQ community rightfully wants and wholeheartedly deserves.