Jul 24th, 2007
Like Father, Like Son
Thanks to Magnus Mortensen of Bonita Springs, FL, whose letter to the Advocate pointed out a second generation article that I had missed.
In the August 14, 2007 issue, Mortenson wrote:
[Advocate] had a very interesting and heartwarming story about a father and son who came out to each other…Beautiful!
His letter caused me to pull the old issue out of recycling to read the article myself. “Like Father, Like Son” profiles retired Coast Guard officer Bill Shipley and his son, Adam Shipley.
As I explain in Families Like Mine, choosing to stay in the closet “for the sake of your children” could mean missing a wonderful opportunity to be a role model to a son or daughter who is questioning his/her sexuality.
Kudos to Bill for taking the risk to come out first — and to both of them for talking openly about their second generation queer family.