It took a long time, but tensions have died down a bit. It is still a awkward. There are things we do not talk about. My parent's home is comfy because I grew up there, but it is also odd because I don't feel like I can be myself.
Things aren't all bad though. When I was with my last boyfriend, my mom told me, "I don't agree with what you are doing, but I just want you to be happy." She also offered to do nasty things to him when he broke up with me which was very nice.
Up until very recently, I've honored my mom's request to not let anyone in the family or her church know. It has cost a lot. I've lost touch with almost all of my cousins. I say up until recently, because clearly, this blog puts it all out there. I started thinking about doing this a few years ago when one of my mom's sisters announced that her son was gay. I thought that would throw the door open wide, but it didn't. My mom just listened rather than letting her sister know that they had something in common. I know of 2 other LGBTQ+ cousins. I suspect there are probably two more.
I hope that this site helps to not only forge new connections, but to also bridge some of those lost connections.