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Even though same-sex parents are becoming more and more common place, they still find themselves facing bigotry. This can confuse their children, who might not understand why their loving parents are treated so poorly by others.
Among those parents are Robbie Pierce and his husband, Neal Broverman, editor of The Advocate who have two children together.
While traveling by Amtrak this past spring, a passenger confronted the family, who told one of their children that Pierce and Broverman "stole" them, before calling both of the fathers "rapists" who "steal kids".
Pierce said his children cried for roughly an hour following the encounter. While he received sympathetic looks from several fellow passengers, no one stood up to defend him or his family.
Pierce and one of his children recently found themselves on the receiving end of another verbal attack, this time while at the playground. This time was different though and Pierce might look back on the incident with a laugh and a smile.
Pierce shared what transpired in a Twitter post.
\u201cA random unattended 7yo at the park told me and my son that gay people are the devil and are going to hell. My son scoffed, but the boy said it was true because God said so. I told him parents made up God to make their kids do what they want. His eyes got so big.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
Pierce shared how a young child at the park came up to him and his son to spout homophobic rhetoric he had learned from his parents.
"A random unattended 7-year-old at the park told me and my son that gay people are the devil."
"My son scoffed, but the boy said it was true because God said so."
But Pierce was able to stun this young boy silent with some well chosen words of his own.
"I told him parents made up God to make their Kids do what they want."
"His eyes got so big."
Pierce initially had some second thoughts about his clapback.
\u201cI'm sorry but if you teach your kids to hate I'm going to teach them to disobey you.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
He decided his response was justified for any parent who taught their child to randomly spew hate.
"I'm sorry but if you teach your kids to hate I'm going to teach them to disobey you."
On Twitter people supported Pierce.
\u201c@Robbiepierce \u201cUnattended children will be given life lessons that you may not approve of.\u201d\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@PamSourelis @Robbiepierce Did the parents think of the ramifications of teaching a 7 yr old child that gay people are the devil? The ramifications of finding out a God you believe in may not be real seems to pale in comparison to the ramifications of teaching people to hate an entire community of people.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce You know, I\u2019m a Christian\u2026& the God these parents have told their kid about..IS made up. Gay people aren\u2019t the devil & being gay certainly isn\u2019t synonymous with going to hell;neither is NOT being gay a way to Heaven.\nMaybe the boy will ask questions now & learn about Jesus\u2019 LOVE\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce lmfao you just changed that kid\u2019s whole life trajectory\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Theemmybem @Robbiepierce Hateful people definitely made up the god they believe in\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce I was shocked at first and then...well...you may have planted a seed to grow a fine human out of the little homophobic bigot he was being trained up as. I can't argue with that.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
Others shared stories of when they found themselves in similar situations.
\u201c@LarkinVayl @Robbiepierce when i was in 4th grade i lived in this super, almost cult-like religious foster home. i wasn\u2019t allowed to cut my hair or play sports. i remember the woman judging another woman\u2019s skirt length & i said \u201cbut didn\u2019t you sin when you got a divorce & then married his brother?\u201d\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce My daughter's best friend in kinder (this girl would have been 5) told me "I like you and you seem like a nice adult. But it makes me sad that you're going to hell bc you don't go to church and believe in the Bible."\n\nI mean, thanks? She learned fun things from her parents.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce You should tell them what my gay friend said in the 90s about gays going to Hell. "If the gays are going to Hell, then that's where I want to go, 'cause that's where the best party is!"\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce On Halloween 2012 a boy came to my door trick or treat. He asked if I knew someone put an Obama sign on my lawn? I told him I put it there and his father grabbed him and got him out of there before I could even give him his candy. \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
\u201c@Robbiepierce @notcapnamerica i'm a liberal atheist homeschooling parent in the bible belt and have gotten quite a lot of under-the-breath snarkiness from kids who'd been force-fed religion, so i'm totally using this line.\u201d— Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e (@Robbie \ud83c\udf2e\ud83e\udd9d\ud83e\udd7e) 1664419096
It's sad to think this likely won't be the last time Pierce and his family experience something like this.
Hopefully, more and more people will come to realize Pierce's family is, for the most part, just like any other.