{"id":121706,"date":"2024-11-03T20:09:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T13:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121706"},"modified":"2024-11-03T20:09:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T13:09:54","slug":"after-their-son-came-out-as-gay-these-conservative-christian-parents-went-into-a-closet-of-their-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121706","title":{"rendered":"After their son came out as gay, these conservative Christian parents went into a closet of their own"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p>\n    <cite class=\"source__cite\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__text\" data-editable=\"source\">CNN<\/span><br \/>\n        \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<br \/>\n    <\/cite>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2wkt3ri002l26q9c8pf1gxc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            As soon as Greg McDonald Jr. saw his parents, he knew he was in trouble. His father stood waiting for him with his arms folded and his brow furrowed. Beside him was\u202fGreg\u2019s mother, her eyes red and puffy.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnu000d3b6mn2c8bl1j@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cQuick, pretend you\u2019re interested in me,\u201d Greg Jr. told his friend Betsy as he steered the speedboat toward the dock at his parents\u2019 riverfront home outside Grand Rapids, Michigan.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000e3b6m7570sye9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Jr. had just taken a group of friends out for a rollicking boat ride. It was late in the summer of 2001, and he was about to head off to his first year of college. In just a few weeks the 17-year-old thought he\u2019d be free.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000f3b6mjtj0qh6s@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But while Greg Jr. was away his father, a conservative Christian, had checked his computer\u2019s search history. He\u2019d heard stories of young men being corrupted by the internet and had discovered his son\u2019s secret: visits to gay porn sites.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000g3b6m6y4ifzty@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            As Greg Jr. stepped off the boat with his friends, his father looked sternly at the group. \u201cYou need to leave,\u201d he said to the other teens.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000h3b6mea7v3erg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Once they were alone, the father turned toward his son.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000i3b6mj3ujz6ym@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cAre you\u2014?\u201d he asked.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000j3b6mi4stov68@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cYes, I am,\u201d Greg Jr. said, cutting his father off as he walked past his parents toward their house.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000k3b6muwrsdzx3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cYou could be an axe murderer, and we would always love you,\u201d his father called out after him. \u201cBut we need to get you fixed.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000l3b6m54zdby74@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            You may think you know what happened next. Greg Jr. prayed to God for deliverance. Pastors condemned him. Church members shunned him. Longtime friends disappeared, and he wrestled with shame because he felt like he had failed God and disobeyed the Bible.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000m3b6mpzgpj1ky@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But that\u2019s not what happened to Greg Jr. That\u2019s what happened to his parents, Greg Sr. and Lynn McDonald.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000n3b6m2n5bbdho@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Their son\u2019s admission would send the McDonalds on a journey that forced them to make agonizing choices about their faith and family. They would be thrust into the middle of a hidden crisis afflicting the conservative Christian community. And how they responded to their son\u2019s admission would mushroom into a scandal \u2014 one that prompted two of the most prominent evangelical pastors in America to publicly question each other\u2019s faith.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xfcxnv000o3b6m2iauc7db@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            What triggered all these events was one fateful decision: After their son came out, the McDonalds went into their own closet.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2wkt75b00003b6mh2w05sio@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            If you\u2019re seeking a model of a contemporary, conservative Christian couple, Greg and Lynn McDonald would seem right out of central casting. Warm and photogenic, they sprinkle their conversation with biblical quotations and self-deprecating humor.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgm390000y3b6mapeoky5s@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds live in a gated community along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, some 25 miles outside of Atlanta. Their neighborhood looks like a real estate brochure, with rows of large, uniform houses, spotless sidewalks and American flags flying from front porches.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xldrjf00013b6muguzan4z@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"11_021_053024_ATS_ChristianParentsLGBTQChildren.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6665\" data-original-height=\"1333\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/11-021-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"A family photo of Greg McDonald Jr. as an 18-year-old hangs at his parents\u2019 home.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xggmrv000u3b6m5g4vlhwy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Their living room reflects their faith and love of family. A towering bookcase is lined with titles such as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/God-Your-Child-John-Nieder\/dp\/0840776330\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God Sex and Your Child<\/a>,\u201d Rob Bell\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/robbell.com\/book\/what-is-the-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Is the Bible?\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tLP1TcwqczNKDEzYPTiKC7PzEvJz8kBAEzhBys&amp;q=swindoll&amp;rlz=1C5GCCM_en&amp;oq=Swindoll&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBEC4YgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyBwgCEC4YgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQkxMTY1MGowajSoAgCwAgE&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charles Swindoll\u2019s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/store.insight.org\/purchase\/getting-through-the-tough-stuff-its-always-something-emby-charles-r-swindollem-gtspb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cGetting Through the Tough Stuff.\u201d<\/a> Seven family photos adorn the wall. One of them is a portrait of their son, Greg Jr., around the time his parents confronted him about his secret.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/factbox\/instances\/cm2xt37m2000e3b6m0vz3r73j@published\" data-component-name=\"factbox\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" class=\"factbox_inline-small factbox_inline-small__\">\n<h3 class=\"factbox_inline-small__title\" data-editable=\"title\">\n    Resources for parents and LGBTQ youth<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<ul data-editable=\"items\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__items factbox_inline-small__items--ul\">\n<li data-editable=\"items.0.text\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__item inline-placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Ali\u00a0Forney\u00a0Center<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 provides shelter, food and health care for LGBTQ+ youth<\/li>\n<li data-editable=\"items.1.text\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__item inline-placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracingthejourney.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Embracing the Journey<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 a support group and resource guide for churches, ministers and Christian parents of LGBTQ+ youth<\/li>\n<li data-editable=\"items.2.text\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__item inline-placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lgbtqfamilyacceptance.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Family Acceptance Project<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 offers research, education and mental health resources for LGBTQ+ children and their parents<\/li>\n<li data-editable=\"items.3.text\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__item inline-placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PFLAG<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 one of the nation\u2019s oldest alliances of parents, families and friends of LGBTQ+ people<\/li>\n<li data-editable=\"items.4.text\" class=\"factbox_inline-small__item inline-placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/truecolorsunited.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>True Colors United<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 offers resources and solutions for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00133b6mv4lnzf3o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn, 65, steps to the wall and adjusts one of the photo frames.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00143b6mlp1aqo7v@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI can\u2019t think clearly if things aren\u2019t straight,\u201d she says with a sheepish smile. \u201cI like things in order.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00153b6m440fybqo@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Sr. is a solidly built man with a firm handshake who talks and moves with an air of crisp authority. He was an entrepreneur and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambassadorfoods.net\/blog\/what-is-a-food-broker-and-how-can-they-benefit-your-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">food broker,<\/a> a person who sells food products to buyers. He retired at 47.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00163b6msl1yw15k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI\u2019m a fixer, a problem solver,\u201d says Greg Sr., now 67. \u201cWhenever there was a problem in business, they said, \u2018Send McDonald.\u2019 \u201c\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00173b6mdn5srpnx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            For some people, the McDonalds\u2019 story may seem baffling. Having a gay child is no longer considered a problem that needs fixing. The Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as a fundamental right in its 2015 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Obergefell-v-Hodges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Obergefell v. Hodges<\/a> decision. LGBTQ+ people are out in the workplace, hold hands in Ikea commercials and openly raise children. <a href=\"https:\/\/fox59.com\/news\/national-world\/ap-us-news\/ap-a-milestone-reached-in-mainline-protestant-churches-decades-old-disputes-over-lgbtq-inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Most mainline<\/a> Christian denominations affirm gay and lesbian people.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00183b6m8dl8f019@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But there are millions of conservative Christians in the US who still do not accept what some call the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativebookclub.com\/book\/the-homosexual-agenda-exposing-the-principal-threat-to-religious-freedom-today\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">homosexual agenda.\u201d<\/a> They say normalizing LGBTQ+ relationships represents a threat to the American family and religious liberty. And their perspective is gaining political momentum. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/anti-lgbtq-plus-state-bill-rights-dg\/index.html\">record number<\/a> of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the US in 2023.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz00193b6mtt2yj6fy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            This backlash against LGBTQ+ acceptance has led to a crisis in\u00a0the conservative religious community.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001a3b6m9qm5y36j@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            An estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/lesley.edu\/article\/the-cost-of-coming-out-lgbt-youth-homelessness#:~:text=Homelessness%20is%20a%20critical%20issue,of%20them%20identify%20as%20LGBT.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">40% of<\/a> the nation\u2019s youth experiencing homelessness identity as LGBTQ. <a href=\"https:\/\/outreach.faith\/2023\/03\/lgbtq-teens-are-expelled-from-their-homes-by-religious-parents-we-must-do-better\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Many<\/a> of these youths are being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2023\/06\/02\/lgbtq-homeless-youths-family-rejection\/11535821002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cast out<\/a> by conservative religious families. Some parents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2023\/06\/02\/lgbtq-homeless-youths-family-rejection\/11535821002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shun<\/a> their gay children when they can\u2019t change them. The harm that many LGBTQ kids suffer after being rejected by conservative religious families is widespread but barely acknowledged or addressed in conservative Christian communities, religious activists and LGBTQ+ youth advocates tell CNN.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlikl300053b6m3r0maeei@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"GettyImages-1249908965.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1249908965.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Demonstrators protest the passing of SB 150 -- better known as Kentucky's \" don=\"\" say=\"\" gay=\"\" bill=\"\" on=\"\" march=\"\" at=\"\" the=\"\" kentucky=\"\" state=\"\" capitol=\"\" in=\"\" frankfort=\"\" kentucky.=\"\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001b3b6md6uetwa7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Jr. says he didn\u2019t tell his parents about his sexuality earlier because he\u2019d heard stories of evangelical parents who refused to pay for their gay kid\u2019s college or kicked them out of the house. Once on the streets, these forsaken youths are more <a href=\"https:\/\/truecolorsunited.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/2019-At-the-Intersections-True-Colors-United.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">likely<\/a> to experience sexual asssault, HIV infection, hate crimes, depression and suicide, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/truecolorsunited.org\/our-issue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">True Colors United,<\/a> a nonprofit group formed to address youth homelessness in the US.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001c3b6mxkif5rg2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The current share of homeless youth who are LGBTQ+ is likely larger than the 40% estimate because many of them end up surfing on the couches of friends or avoiding places where homeless adults gather because they\u2019re afraid of being harmed, says Kahlib Barton, chief program officer with True Colors United.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001d3b6m3217x85s@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Many LGBTQ+ youth tend to travel together, living in abandoned buildings and under freeway overpasses and often engaging in sex work for survival, Barton says. Virtually none of them go to the church for help.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001e3b6m2jgau5at@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMost youth don\u2019t feel comfortable going to a church because they\u2019re either forced to engage in religious practices they don\u2019t agree with or their sexual identity is not appropriately respected,\u201d Barton says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001f3b6mnxuo97id@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Sr. didn\u2019t know any of those stories when he told his son that he had to be \u201cfixed.\u201d He made that declaration 23 years ago, but he still winces at the memory.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001g3b6mwpm9hm65@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cBoy, how I wish I could reel those words back,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I can\u2019t. We literally chased Greg Jr. away. Once those words leave your lips, it\u2019s like eating shoe leather. It\u2019s hard to recover from that.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001h3b6mnr0lnpcj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Their son, though, knew what awaited his parents before they did. When they enlisted the church to \u201cfix\u201d him, he would say something to them that would prove prophetic:\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgo5jz001i3b6mit8wmkwq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThere is no hate like Christian love.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgmov900113b6mpn2pv56d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds didn\u2019t think there was anything hateful about how they raised their son and his older sister, Connie. They wanted them to have the stability they never had as children. They raised the two children in a conservative Christian cocoon: church every Sunday, mid-week Bible study, Christian private schools; Christian contemporary music tuned 24\/7 on the car radio.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001r3b6m9v7zlgf9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            They saw signs early on that their son might be gay. They say they were tipped off by his body language and what Greg Sr. describes as his son\u2019s \u201ctender-hearted\u201d personality. They quietly took steps to address the issue.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001s3b6m6w4cejlv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIf a show came on TV, and it was \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0157246\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Will &amp; Grace<\/a>\u2019 or if there was touching between two men, I\u2019d grab the remote and turn to another show,\u201d Greg Sr. says. When Greg Jr. was still a boy, the McDonalds shared their concerns with a Christian counselor.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001t3b6m04ncjhi6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He\u2019ll be fine, the counselor assured them. \u201cPeer pressure will sort him out,\u201d he said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001u3b6ma02symmb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Meanwhile, Greg Jr. was learning about hate at his Christian schools. He was bullied by classmates who hurled gay slurs at him. Teachers denounced homosexuality in classroom diatribes while looking directly at him. There were others who treated him with compassion, including art teachers who sensed his secret. He came out to several high school friends who made him feel accepted.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlg2ki00013b6md11dfcjr@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"McDonald-Family-Pics---CNN-5.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.74\" data-original-height=\"1184\" data-original-width=\"1600\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1184\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1184\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1184\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1184\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mcdonald-family-pics-cnn-5.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"An undated family photo shows Greg Jr., Greg Sr., Lynn and Connie McDonald.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1184\" width=\"1600\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001v3b6mhuebx6ix@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Even so, Greg Jr. learned to be quiet and blend in. That impulse was so ingrained that just before his parents confronted him after that speedboat ride, he still pretended to be straight by asking his friend, Betsy, to feign attraction to him.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001w3b6m27bbx85z@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt was about being perfect all the time and not doing anything to stand out as deviant, or outside the norm,\u201d he would say later. \u201cYou try not to be noticed.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001x3b6mritvkokr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            After their son came out to them, the McDonalds relied on the church to apply another form of peer pressure. They sent their son to youth counselors and pastors.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001y3b6m3jvbpucm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            They persuaded him to try Christian \u201cconversion therapy,\u201d a widely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrc.org\/resources\/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discredited<\/a> practice of trying to change a person\u2019s sexual orientation through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/gay-conversion-therapy-origins-19th-century\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">methods<\/a> such as intensive prayer, aversion conditioning, and in extreme cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8321984\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exorcism<\/a>. Greg Jr. went to one meeting and refused to return.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj001z3b6m39dypagd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize the harm we were doing,\u201d Lynn says. \u201cWhen you find out your child is gay in that environment, it\u2019s overwhelming. I hate to say it, but I was also looking at myself. I was thinking, \u2018This is disruptive. What is my life going to look like now? \u2019 \u2019\u2019\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj00203b6modcxsg86@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Several months after their confrontation with their son, the McDonalds told their pastor and a select group of close friends. It took about two years for Greg Sr. to tell select business partners and co-workers. Some stopped talking to them. Others assured the McDonalds they would pray for their son\u2019s deliverance from homosexuality. One told Greg Sr., \u201cYou gotta get a handle on your son.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj00213b6meyz9pbhp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Still, Greg Jr. refused to be \u201cfixed.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj00223b6m72izcf2q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A Christian counselor once asked him, \u201cDon\u2019t you want to go to heaven?\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgrkbj00233b6md2pugvty@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cNot if you\u2019re there,\u201d Greg Jr. said.\n    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm2xgs4i500253b6mr61oo90k@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"i-felt-i-had-to-choose-between-loving-god-and-loving-my-child\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n        \u2018I felt I had to choose between loving God and loving my child\u2019<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgqct3001p3b6ma0dvxmls@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            By this time Greg Jr. had moved away to attend DePaul University in Chicago. He and his parents barely spoke. He rebuffed their attempts to cite scripture. Their occasional visits were so strained that their son avoided being alone with them and surrounded himself with friends.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9u002a3b6m4cg3f29o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The tension filtered into the McDonalds\u2019 marriage. They blamed one another.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9u002b3b6m2pbqeznr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>\u201cYou should have taken him on more fishing trips\u2014\u201d<\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9u002c3b6mggiekx19@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>\u201cWhose idea was it to let him take those art classes?\u201d<\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9u002d3b6m4c3228m3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>\u201cWell, you didn\u2019t play baseball with him enough\u2026\u201d<\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002e3b6mbec3lgzl@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>\u00a0<\/em>The McDonalds thought a gay child was a failure of parenting. That was the dominant teaching in their conservative Christian culture.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002f3b6mnh777mtn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            They followed leaders like the author and psychologist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.focusonthefamily.com\/contributors\/james-dobson-ph-d\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James Dobson,<\/a> founder of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Focus-on-the-Family\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Focus on the Family.\u201d<\/a> Dobson\u00a0has ascribed homosexuality to such external factors as a domineering mother, an emotionally abusive father and being sexually molested as a child \u2014 beliefs that have been debunked by many scientific researchers.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlh66n00033b6mbjyr6opn@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"13_GettyImages-56542928.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.7\" data-original-height=\"2100\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"2100\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2100\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2100\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2100\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/13-gettyimages-56542928.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, gestures while speaking at a rally on January 8, 2006, in Philadelphia.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2100\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002g3b6m8cifjkb1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe were Focus on the Family groupies,\u201d Greg Sr. says. \u201cWe drank from the fire hose. If they published it, printed it or did a video, we owned it.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002h3b6mhh3y987b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn McDonald says says her reaction to her son\u2019s disclosure was also shaped by another source: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Genesis%2022&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Old Testament story<\/a> in which God demanded that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his faith.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002i3b6mo6yr1wdm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI felt I had to choose between loving God and loving my child,\u201d she says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002j3b6mclfsblqb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Her words may seem melodramatic, but not if you know her background. She grew up in a family where relatives struggled with mental illness and alcoholism. She married Greg Sr. when they were right out of high school. Both now say they were too young and immature. It took 12 years of counseling and prayer to preserve their marriage.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002k3b6mr5isyn3q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            What saved her through it all? She says it was following the words in the Bible.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002l3b6m4s1kfi7t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMy safe spot was the church,\u201d she says. \u201cThere were parameters. If you followed them, nothing harmful will happen to you.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002m3b6msgzvuvzk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But in the evangelical world, that safe spot came with a price. The McDonalds felt tremendous pressure to hide having a gay child.\u00a0Not long after their son told them he was gay, they asked their minister if he could put them in touch with other parents of LGBTQ+ children in their congregation. He couldn\u2019t. He didn\u2019t know a single family in a congregation of about 5,000 people who were willing to talk about having a gay child.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002n3b6m4vdlsyur@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds joined this silence. They shared their son\u2019s sexual orientation with a select group of friends and church members, but otherwise kept a tight lid on their family struggles. They worried about being disowned by friends, relatives, their church and their employers.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002o3b6m5o189r5q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThere\u2019s the fear about my reputation and my family\u2019s reputation,\u201d Greg Sr. says. \u201cYou have to keep this image just so.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002p3b6mqhzi1o5h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One night, the pressures of maintaining that image threatened to overwhelm Greg Sr. He was driving home, mired in depression. He felt like a failure as a father.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002q3b6mae1wa1lx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He spotted a bridge in front of him. As he drew closer, he accelerated. He aimed his car at the bridge\u2019s concrete abutment. The slapping of his tires on the highway grew louder as he sped toward the bridge.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002r3b6minkihzdz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cAs I got closer, I just decided that\u2019s it,\u201d he says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgtm9v002s3b6msnyc5l7c@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But at the last second, he jerked the wheel and turned away from the bridge. He pulled off the highway and sat in his car, shaking. He then called his doctor to get a prescription for anti-depressants.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgs7p900283b6mqwqlapak@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Not long after, Lynn was shaken by her own brush with mortality \u2014one that led to a different result.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j2002z3b6ms4tuxk5c@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            She and Greg Sr. had remained closeted for more than a decade, struggling with shame, after they learned their son\u2019s secret. But in 2013, she faced another battle: She was diagnosed with breast cancer.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200303b6m16lnoisb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI had to put on my big girl pants and get through this,\u201d Lynn says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200313b6mwc532n7d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            What followed was months of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and her hair falling out in clumps. She spent much of her time in bed and barely had enough energy to move. Her husband stood by her, but another person soon appeared at her bedside: Greg Jr.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200323b6mwdqd1ekk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Their son was now 29 and living in Chicago after attending DePaul and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. At Greg Jr.\u2019s invitation, his parents moved briefly into his Chicago condo. He washed his mother\u2019s laundry and tucked her in at night. He took her shopping and purchased stylish caps and scarves to cover her hair loss.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200333b6mrz32q0vf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn began thinking of the years she had spent raising her son in a home where he was afraid to be himself. The years she spent quoting scriptures at him that condemned his homosexuality. But here he was, showing her compassion. Instead of anger, he was embodying Christ\u2019s example \u2014 loving those who had scorned him.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2z1w6bl00013b6mnsyhvbsh@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"12_002_053024_ATS_ChristianParentsLGBTQChildren.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6665\" data-original-height=\"1333\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/12-002-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Books on a shelf at the McDonalds' home in Duluth, Georgia.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200343b6mtjnw4eh9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            She lost her zest to preach at him.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200353b6mvv7jktj1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI saw my life flash before my eyes,\u201d Lynn says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how many days I was going to have on Earth to even be with my son. It wasn\u2019t about changing him. It was about loving him and trying to make up for the years that I did lose with him when he was raised in our home.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200363b6mzrwlfd2g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Around the same time, Greg Jr. reached out to his father in a different way. One night he asked his dad, \u201cWanna get a drink?\u201d He took his father to a bar in Chicago called The Closet. It was, of course, a gay bar.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200373b6mq1jqb3gk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            As Greg Sr. walked inside, he caught himself thinking: <em>Gosh, if my conservative friends could see me now<\/em>. His son introduced him to the bartender. Her name was Karen, but his son described her as his \u201cmomma bear.\u201d She was the one who steered him away from guys who meant trouble and helped him with his college homework by holding up flash cards at the bar.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200383b6m8uqhq8yq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Karen was a lesbian, but that didn\u2019t matter to Greg Sr.\u00a0 She loved and protected his son. He felt his attitudes shift.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j200393b6m3g7r0q2g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe reality is that I didn\u2019t care anymore what my friends and co-workers thought,\u201d he says. \u201cI was far more concerned about my son and having a relationship with him.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j2003a3b6m63bggbbx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn\u2019s cancer went into remission. And a dozen years after that riverside confrontation, the McDonalds\u2019 relationship with their son also started to heal.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j2003b3b6mhr0wi9k8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But they still had to square this with their faith. They didn\u2019t know how to answer this question: Can you still love God, the Bible and your gay son?\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgw6j2003c3b6mtlposwvm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The search for that answer would lead Greg Sr. to an unexpected friendship. For Lynn, it would end one.\n    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm2xgwcdc003e3b6msvkiaohg@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"the-bible-was-not-as-black-and-white-as-i-once-thought\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n        \u2018The Bible was not as black and white as I once thought\u2019<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgvajd002x3b6me1m6vyle@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            To reconcile his son\u2019s sexuality with his Christian views, Greg Sr. entered another arena that for evangelicals was as taboo as a gay bar: He started reading books and listening to sermons from religious and LGBTQ+ scholars who challenged his views on homosexuality. He came across a YouTube video of the man delivering a lecture at a New Zealand church. His name was David <a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidpgushee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gushee<\/a>, one of the leading Christian ethicists in the US.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003j3b6mf409k5gk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Gushee had White evangelical Christian roots. He became a born-again Christian in high school and later a Baptist minister. He, too, once believed that there could be no moral acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003k3b6mhx2op0tp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A family crisis prompted the shift in his views. Gushee learned that his younger sister, Katey, had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national\/religion\/evangelical-ethicist-david-gushee-is-now-pro-lgbt-heres-why-it-matters\/2014\/10\/24\/de265c9a-5bae-11e4-9d6c-756a229d8b18_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hospitalized with depression<\/a>, including one stay after a suicide attempt. She had struggled to accept her sexual identity as a lesbian before finally coming out.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2z6ndl6000x3b6m70pglikf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Gushee started reexamining scriptures and the formation of the Bible. He talked to other LGBTQ+ people who grew up in the church but left. He heard horror stories about religious parents casting their kids onto the streets, where many fall prey to drug use and sexual predators.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003l3b6mzu05jhj1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Gushee took a stand. He urged for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the church.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003m3b6mfflgoyjt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He rejected the \u201cwelcoming but not affirming\u201d approach that many churches attempt to avoid demonizing LGBTQ+ people and alienating traditional conservatives.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003n3b6mzwe04wdw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThey ultimately fail to include LGBTQ+ people in the Christian community on equal terms with everyone else, while doing continued spiritual, psychological, familial, and ecclesial harm,\u201d Gushee wrote in his book, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.davidpgushee.com\/book\/changing-our-mind-full-lgbtq-inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Changing Our Mind<\/a>.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlky4f00073b6mgnl9y8s3@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"14_023_053024_ATS_ChristianParentsLGBTQChildren.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6665\" data-original-height=\"1333\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/14-023-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Lynn McDonald shows a snapshot of her son, Greg Jr., from when he was seven years old.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003o3b6mfi2drl7h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            By this time the McDonalds had moved to Georgia, where Gushee lived and taught at a university. Greg Sr. was so taken by Gushee\u2019s book that he wrote a letter to him and invited him to lunch. The two men met and became friends.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003p3b6m73qnfdxr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cDavid\u2019s book helped open my mind, not change my mind,\u201d Greg Sr. says. \u201cI began to realize that the Bible was not as black and white as I once thought.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003q3b6mi75kd2bu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Sr.\u2019s solution to his theological questions was to focus on another color in the Bible \u2014 the red letters in the New Testament that are attributed to Jesus.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003r3b6mjqslas5h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            And he came to a conclusion: A Christian parent can love their LGBTQ child not in spite of their faith, but because of it.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003s3b6m38lrk0gj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThere are things in the Bible that may or may not make sense, but what you can be assured of is that Jesus says to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that includes our children, straight or gay,\u201d he said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003t3b6mahdsi362@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Sr. also says he realized something else.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgxqbu003u3b6mws8wx6fp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt was as much of a choice for Greg Jr. to be gay as it was for me to have brown hair.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm2xgyytl003w3b6m0x1ur3dp@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"the-mcdonalds-lose-some-old-friends-and-make-new-ones\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n        The McDonalds lose some old friends \u2014 and make new ones<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgwrtt003h3b6mpg9hkp1l@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Twelve years after they confronted their son about his homosexuality, the McDonalds started sharing their story with anyone who would listen.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00413b6mbmnfbdnv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cOnce we stepped out of the closet, our phone started ringing,\u201d Greg Sr. says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00423b6m8nmtavad@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            They met Christian parents who shared their struggles. A community was formed. And in 2015, they formed a support group for Christian parents with LGBTQ children called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracingthejourney.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cEmbracing the Journey<\/a>\u201d \u2014 the signature line Greg used in his emails while his wife fought breast cancer. They filed articles of incorporation one month before Lynn\u2019s last major surgery.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00433b6m58uichfs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In doing so they met new people and lost some old friends. Lynn had befriended several women in a home Bible study group, where her ministry never came up in the discussion. One day she finally asked her friends what they thought about it.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00443b6mpkg2zxlo@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One woman said she didn\u2019t like to think about the religious debate over homosexuality because the subject was \u201chorrible\u201d and \u201cfull of pain.\u201d She told Lynn she had a nephew who was gay and that she thought homosexuality was \u201cdisgusting.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00453b6m9qjkcg44@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cAnd she just went on about how awful it must be to do this ministry, and I\u2019m thinking, \u2018That\u2019s my life she\u2019s talking about,\u2019\u2019\u2019 Lynn says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00463b6moegomq0i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn says her friendship with the woman ended after that Bible study. She never met with that group again.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00473b6md7cus67d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            There were others, though, who affirmed the McDonalds\u2019 ministry. One of them was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracingthejourney.org\/david--deb-quinones.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Quinones<\/a>. He was a lay leader in the Episcopal Church when it started to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2022\/10\/29\/gay-bishop-episcopal-falls-church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">split<\/a> in 2003 over the ordination of a gay bishop. Quinones opposed the ordination.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00483b6mlw8i5m5x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One night, Quinones and his wife, Deb, received a call from the hospital. It was their son, Josh, then a senior in college. He told them he had attempted suicide because he was tormented over being bisexual (he was scared at the time to tell them he was gay).\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb00493b6mxtct2pl2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHe was afraid we weren\u2019t going to love him anymore and that we would reject him,\u201d Quinones says.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xllkql00093b6muzqpxd8c@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"IMG_2631.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.75\" data-original-height=\"960\" data-original-width=\"1280\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-2631.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"David Quinones, his wife, Deb and their son, Josh.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb004a3b6mzaabhp4i@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Quinones says he and his wife also reacted with shame and secrecy after their son\u2019s admission. That changed after they attended an \u201cEmbracing the Journey\u201d session and met other parents who shared their struggle. Many of those meetings ended in tears. The Quinoneses have since joined the McDonalds\u2019 ministry.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb004b3b6mylzjm2hv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWhat we needed was to be able to talk to other people who were struggling,\u201d David Quinones says. \u201cThere\u2019s this false narrative out there: Either I love my gay child, or I love God.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb004c3b6mjlx0na7t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            That narrative, though, still holds tremendous power in the evangelical world. That\u2019s what the McDonalds discovered when they got swept up in a controversy over something they did for their son.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh2kpb004d3b6m1b3mj7lr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            What happened, Greg Sr. says, would \u201cbreak my heart.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xgzf8h003z3b6mdvy7hnb4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            It was called the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracingthejourney.org\/unconditional-conference.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unconditional Conference<\/a>,\u201d and was scheduled for September 2023 at North Point Community Church in suburban Atlanta. Led by <a href=\"https:\/\/andystanley.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy Stanley<\/a>, North Point is one of the largest evangelical churches in America. The McDonalds had joined North Point during the same year they moved to Georgia.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004k3b6mthmgxxcq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds organized the conference with \u201cEmbracing The Journey\u201d volunteers, and Stanley agreed to host it. The two-day event was promoted with a tagline: \u201cIn a world that makes us choose sides, experience a conference from the quieter middle.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004l3b6mgpkbls5u@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            But what happened after the conference was announced was anything but quiet. Critics pounced. One <a href=\"https:\/\/churchleaders.com\/news\/460959-rosaria-butterfield-weighs-in-on-unconditional-conference-andy-stanleys-teachings-on-lgbtq-issues.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> the conference promoted \u201cSatan-drenched theology.\u201d Others <a href=\"https:\/\/wng.org\/articles\/wide-is-the-way-1696291182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> the McDonalds had become part of a campaign to shift traditional views on marriage and sexuality. Social media fanned the flames.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlmn0d000b3b6mc7xl0tpa@published\" class=\"image_medium portrait image_medium__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_medium\" data-name=\"09.28.23_Unconditional_SG-128.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_medium--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"1.29625\" data-original-height=\"2074\" data-original-width=\"1600\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_medium__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_medium\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_medium--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_medium__picture\"><source height=\"2074\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2074\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2074\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2074\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/09-28-23-unconditional-sg-128-20241031175428753.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Greg Sr. and Lynn McDonald speak at the Unconditional Conference in 2023.\" class=\"image_medium__dam-img image_medium__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_medium__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2074\" width=\"1600\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004m3b6m0mlq7d3a@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One of the conference\u2019s most prominent critics was the <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rev. R. Albert Mohler,<\/a> an author, podcaster and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004n3b6m1rxuiq32@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Mohler wrote a <a href=\"https:\/\/wng.org\/opinions\/the-train-is-leaving-the-station-1695036498\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">column<\/a> arguing the McDonalds\u2019 conference was designed as a platform \u201cfor normalizing the LGBTQ+ revolution.\u201d He wrote that \u201cin truth, there is no \u2018middle space\u2019\u201d on homosexuality because all \u201csame-sex sexual behaviors\u201d are clearly forbidden by the Bible.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004o3b6m5kmqvnc1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He then took aim at Stanley, saying that his decision to allow the conference to be held at North Point was proof that the pastor was inching away from \u201chistoric normative Biblical Christianity.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004p3b6mgl0cu1zv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cSadly, it looks like the train is about to leave the station,\u201d Mohler wrote.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004q3b6milshflld@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Not long after Mohler\u2019s column appeared, Stanley stepped before his congregation on a Sunday morning and <a href=\"https:\/\/sermons.love\/andy-stanley\/16592-andy-stanley-i-love-my-church.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">did something<\/a> he\u2019d had never done before: devote an entire sermon to directly responding to his critics outside his church.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004r3b6m23bhu658@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Stanley addressed Mohler near the beginning of his sermon.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004s3b6mlwi8fze6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI want to go on record and say I have never subscribed to his version of biblical Christianity to begin with, so I\u2019m not leaving anything,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/sermons.love\/andy-stanley\/16592-andy-stanley-i-love-my-church.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said.<\/a>\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004t3b6mmddoy4nm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Stanley then proceeded to defend the conference, and the McDonalds. He said North Point wasn\u2019t backtracking on its belief that biblical marriage is between a man and woman. But he argued that evangelicals must deal with what was happening to LGBTQ+ children in their churches because \u201c86%\u201d of LGBTQ+ people in the US grow up in church, \u201cbut they leave at twice the rate of straight people.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlmz31000d3b6m60y8eqfy@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"15_GettyImages-2164097044.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/15-gettyimages-2164097044.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"R. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., on July 9, 2024.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2000\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004u3b6me4oulhgk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Stanley cited the McDonalds\u2019 relationship with their son, and the isolation faced by many LGBTQ+ youth in the evangelical world. He also distanced his church from Mohler\u2019s brand of Christianity.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004v3b6mj69583nf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cBottom line, that version of Christianity draws lines. And Jesus drew circles,\u201d Stanley said. \u201cHe drew circles so large and included so many people in his circle that it consistently made religious leaders nervous.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004w3b6mps3udaij@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While Stanley faced criticism from evangelicals, others would say he didn\u2019t go far enough. They say a pastor should affirm, not accept, their gay members. But it\u2019s what Stanley did before the sermon, though, that spoke just as loudly.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004x3b6mh2qb9iqy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Jr. had traveled to North Point\u2019s sprawling campus before that Sunday to help his parents plan the conference. It was the first time he had set foot in a church in years. During one planning session, Stanley came by to greet the conference organizers. When he spotted Greg Jr., he dropped his backpack, walked up to him and gave him a hug.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004y3b6mdmwonbp7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lynn McDonald looked on in amazement. Tears welled in her eyes.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2y15olh00003d5v9dl6fysl@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt was a healing moment, to see Andy love on my son,\u201d she says. \u201cGreg Jr. was finally being seen and heard.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o004z3b6mzthdluqf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Stung by a deluge of public criticism, the McDonalds could have used a hug as well. For the first time, they were facing an army of anonymous Christian commentators trying to \u201cfix\u201d them. They wondered if they had inadvertently dragged their pastor into a no-win situation.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o00503b6mesvwp6yz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt broke my heart,\u201d Greg McDonald Sr. says today about Stanley\u2019s sermon. \u201cThat he (Stanley) felt the need to do that to help his congregation understand why he would allow a conference to come to his church. There are plenty of LGBTQ+ people in churches, whether their pastors know it or not.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o00513b6m5f1g1u41@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Why did the McDonalds attract such withering criticism? The debate over homosexuality in the church is not new. Why was their public support for their son and other families like theirs so infuriating to many conservative Christians?\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o00523b6mb1gy4kta@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Gushee, the Christian ethicist, has a theory.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh824o00533b6mk7d4kplc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThey chose love over dogma,\u201d he says. \u201cThe whole premise of their ministry is, \u2018We\u2019re not trying to tell you how to interpret scripture. But the bottom line is, love your child, stay in a relationship with them and go on the journey with them.\u2019\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xh6321004i3b6mv6z3ftaa@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One might say Greg McDonald Sr. stood up to all the criticism because of his faith, but there is another reason. He was bullied as a child because he had <a href=\"https:\/\/dyslexiahelp.umich.edu\/person-first-language#:~:text=We%20believe%20in%20person%2Dfirst,with%20dyslexia%20as%20%E2%80%9Cdyslexics%E2%80%9D.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dyslexia.<\/a> He failed the fourth and eighth grade. Some kids called him \u201cretard\u201d and teased him for riding on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/disabledparenting.com\/truth-short-bus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">short bus<\/a>,\u201d a miniature school bus used to transport kids with physical and mental disabilities.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005a3b6ms3tcy918@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He hates seeing LGBTQ+ youth bullied.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005b3b6m2wylrlse@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWhen I see someone being harassed and they can\u2019t really fend for themselves, it makes the hair on my neck stand on end,\u201d he says. \u201cEspecially when they\u2019re bullied in the name of God.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005c3b6m2ua5g4sv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds now have plenty of company on their journey. A year after the conference, they say their ministry has a team of 91 volunteers who offer support to families in England, South Africa, Australia, Ethiopia and other countries. They\u2019ve written a self-help guide for parents of LGBTQ+ children called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracingthejourney.org\/the-book.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Embracing the Journey<\/a>,\u201d and they speak at churches and conferences.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlojz9000f3b6m55uch4fn@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"16_025_053024_ATS_ChristianParentsLGBTQChildren.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6665\" data-original-height=\"1333\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/16-025-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Greg McDonald holds a copy of his and his wife\u2019s book, \" embracing=\"\" the=\"\" journey.=\"\" book=\"\" seeks=\"\" to=\"\" help=\"\" christian=\"\" parents=\"\" support=\"\" their=\"\" lgbtq=\"\" children.=\"\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1333\" width=\"2000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005d3b6m2rdar089@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe need is immense,\u201d Greg Sr. says. \u201cIt just keeps growing. We wouldn\u2019t be doing this if the church was already doing this. There are a lot of churches that are starting to do this, and we applaud them for that. But we need more churches entering in this conversation.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005e3b6mgjpu1k1h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds have earned new nicknames within some parts of the LGBTQ+ community. They\u2019ve been dubbed \u201cMcMom\u201d and \u201cMcDad\u201d by an assortment of LGBTQ+ children who have adopted them as surrogate parents after being rejected by their own families.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005f3b6mqgth20an@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One of them is Patrick Potulski, who met the McDonalds through their son. Potulski was 21 when he says he fell out with his parents over his homosexuality. His parents are immigrants from Poland, a heavily Catholic country where homosexuality is still stigmatized.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005g3b6me0u1v0ar@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He says the McDonalds invited him over to stay on weekends. They cooked dinner for him, played board games and watched movies with him. His parents eventually accepted him, but he says he won\u2019t forget the McDonalds\u2019 kindness.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005h3b6m35m3vteb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThey were always so welcoming and accepting,\u201d Potulski says. \u201cAlways offering a hug when I needed one.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005i3b6m5dqodpxc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            And Greg Jr.? He\u2019s now a 40-year-old man with a thick mustache and a cheerfully blunt manner. An interior designer, he lives in Georgia and helps his parents with their ministry.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005j3b6m4w0as0x9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He no longer attends church, but he says he still considers himself a follower of Jesus. When asked what advice he would share with Christian parents with gay children, he says:\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005k3b6m8gnc92dj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cTell your kids you love them, teach them to be kind, let them be weirdos and let them fly their freak flag,\u201d he says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1m005l3b6mzbu4t80q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He then adds: \u201cAnd don\u2019t be an a**hole.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2xlswx0000h3b6mbaf0l7h2@published\" class=\"image_large image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"013_053024_ATS_ChristianParentsLGBTQChildren.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6662844036697247\" data-original-height=\"1162\" data-original-width=\"1744\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"1162\" width=\"1744\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1162\" width=\"1744\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1162\" width=\"1744\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"1162\" width=\"1744\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/013-053024-ats-christianparentslgbtqchildren.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Greg and and Lynn McDonald sit for a portrait with their son Greg Jr. at the McDonald home in Duluth, Georgia, on May 30.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1162\" width=\"1744\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005m3b6mlib29op9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Jr. is a stoic man, but his pride in his parents\u2019 ministry is evident.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005n3b6mf29e4kcm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMy mom is the heart and soul of the ministry \u2014 my dad is everything else,\u201d he says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005o3b6msfycomxd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In recent years the McDonalds have added another face to the wall of family portraits hanging in their immaculate living room.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005p3b6mj9hhbly6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The largest photo shows Greg and Lynn with Greg Jr., and their daughter, along with her husband. Standing next to a beaming Greg Sr. is another person. He\u2019s a tall, clean-shaven man with a boyish face. His name is Jon, and he\u2019s Greg Jr.\u2019s husband.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005q3b6musv14fgu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Greg Jr. and Jon were married in 2019. Jon has gone on vacations with the McDonalds and been to their house many times to cook meals and play board games.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005r3b6mxxnxrh1k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHe loves my family,\u201d Greg Jr. says. \u201cHe\u2019s like their son.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005s3b6ma45y9p38@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonalds attended their son\u2019s courthouse wedding. Lynn says it was \u201cpretty surreal\u201d to witness the ceremony.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005t3b6mt9k178wg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThere was aways a little glimmer of hope that maybe he\u2019d find a wonderful Christian girl and get married,\u201d she says. \u201cI was grieving when they said their vows. But I was also joyfully crying. I was grieving for my dream of what I wanted for my son, but also joyful that my son doesn\u2019t have to do life alone anymore and he found someone who cares and loves him.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005u3b6mr57kg0o3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            How people regard the McDonalds\u2019 journey may depend on their religious beliefs. Some say they have betrayed their faith. But the McDonalds say they\u2019re even more committed to their Christianity \u2014 a faith that they say draws circles instead of lines.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005v3b6m3mxzs9fg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The McDonald\u2019s days of shame and secrecy are over.\u00a0 The Christian cocoon they built to shield their son may have crumbled, but once they broke free from it, their family soared.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005w3b6mgk1frlhu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            After they discovered their son was gay, the McDonalds prayed to God that He would change him.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005x3b6mbxvfxywm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Their prayers were answered, they say \u2014 just not in the way they expected.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005y3b6mr9qkrfgi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            God changed them instead.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2xhbq1n005z3b6mrxp97y9y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>John Blake is a CNN senior writer and author of<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/706045\/more-than-i-imagined-by-john-blake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>\u202fthe award-winning memoir, \u201cMore Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.\u201d<\/em><\/a>\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/03\/us\/conservative-christian-coming-out-gay-cec\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 As soon as Greg McDonald Jr. saw his parents, he knew he was in trouble. His father stood waiting for him with his arms folded and his brow &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=121706\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121706\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}