Azya Babula was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses. At age 21, he came out to his parents and their reaction was more than he could have ever hoped for.
Just a few days ago, Babula posted a teary video on his Twitter with the caption:
"My parents(ex jevoha's witnesses) [sic] finally told me they loved me and fully accapeted [sic] me being gay and then we had a full 2 hour convo about boys and exes and stuff. 21 years later y'all and the burden has been lifted off my shoulders IM SO HAPPY BUT CANT STOP CRYING"
According to the Watchtower Online Library by the Jehovah's Witness website:
"Jehovah's Witnesses reject all sexual misconduct, including homosexuality."
So the fact that Azya's parents accepted him with love and an eagerness to discuss his love life is huge.
According to Pink News, Babula tried to come out to his parents in middle school but, as they were still practicing Jehovah's Witnesses, they did not accept him. Azya's relationship with his parents grew "very strained" and his grades began to drop.
As he was finishing high school, Azya's parents left the church but still struggled to accept his sexuality.
"But, finally, two days ago, we had an open discussion about marriage and kids and where I see myself and my parents even threw some jokes in."
Azya joyfully continued:
"They finally told me that they understand that it's not a choice, apologized that it took so long, and now I can freely talk about about it. But it was a very long and hard journey to get here."
The young man also took to Instagram to commend his parents' love, with a caption saying:
"Family time is HOT 💖#bestfriends"
Twitter is alight with love and joy for Azya and his breakthrough with his parents.
Some viewers had a personal understanding of what Azya went through.
Congratulations to Azya and his parents on their commitment to love and acceptance.
H/T: PinkNews, Twitter, Instagram, Watchtower Online Library
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