You gotta love Sally Field. Even before she knew her son was gay she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she thought was right, and since her kid came out she’s become an outspoken and and fierce supporter of both him and all LGBT people.
Her actions won her the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award in 2012, and has never shied away from saying what she though parents of gay children can and should do for their kids.
Now she’s at it again, as in support of the Human Rights Campaign’s battle against the various “license to discriminate” bills (which seek to allow businesses to specifically disciminate against LGBTQ people, usually on religious grounds), she has penned an open letter about the difficulties her son Sam faced.
She writes: ‘The three things I’m most proud of in my life are my sons, Peter, Eli and Sam. They are kind, loving and productive people. Each with their own list of talents and accomplishments. Sam is my youngest son, by 18 years, and he’s gay. To that, I say: So what? Growing up, Sam wanted desperately to just be like his older brothers – athletic, rambunctious and even a little bit macho. He wanted to beat Eli at tennis, trounce Peter at computer football and learn everything about every basketball player on the court. But Sam was different. And his journey to allow himself to be what nature intended him to be was not an easy one. When I saw him struggling, I wanted to jump in. But his older brothers held me back. They told me I couldn’t travel that road for Sam. It was his to travel, not mine. I had to wait for him to own himself in his own time. I could make it easier only by standing visibly to the side, clearly loving him, always being there and always letting him know.
‘Finally, at 20, long after he beat his brothers at tennis and computer games and knew as much as anyone about basketball, Sam was able to stand up proudly and say, “I am a gay man.”
‘One of the great privileges of my life to have been allowed to be a part of Sam’s journey.
‘There are people out there – organizations and politicians, strangers who have never even met Sam – who would rather devote themselves to denying his happiness.
‘Why would anyone want to prevent my son—or anyone’s son or daughter—from having basic legal safeguards like family medical leave, Social Security survivors benefits, or health insurance? It doesn’t make any sense—but it won’t change until people speak out. I’m proud to stand with HRC to add my voice. Will you join me?
‘Whether you are LGBT yourself, a parent or grandparent of an LGBT child, or just a great person with strong convictions about what’s fair and right, I hope I’ve convinced you to stand with HRC for equality. You’ll be glad you did!’
HRC is hoping to raise money to fight the discriminatory laws, so head here if you want to help out.
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