I'm From Driftwood is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit archive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer stories. New stories are posted on the site every Wednesday.
The Macaraeg family is serious about the Seattle Seahawks. Robbie Macaraeg explains:
I come from a family of avid Seahawks fans. We're very prideful. We're very close too. And I think [that] a really good bond that we have is watching the Seahawks, watching our sports. On Sundays we'd be outside, running around, playing around, getting messy; my mom's inside watching the game, and we'd come in. And same thing on Mondays: We'd go and pick up food from the grocery store and come back and watch the game. Then repeat on Thursdays.
Fortunately, the Macaraegs are also serious about being a loving and supportive family. After getting his heart broken on a date, Robbie went home in tears and knew it was time to come out to his mom:
My mom's in her uniform -- her jersey, her Seahawks jersey -- screaming at the TV, "Go, Hawks! No! No!" Just screaming. And I walk in just crying, and she just stops everything, literally goes into mama-bear mode and is like, "What happened? Oh, my gosh! What's going on? Are you OK? Oh, my God!" Hugs me, hugs me, hugs me. And I'm like, "Mom, I'm gay!" And she's like, "Oh, honey, honey, that's fine, but can we just wait till commercial?"
The LGBTQ community has been fighting for a future where coming out is no big deal. For some, that future is already here.
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