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Magic Johnson shares the joy of having a gay son and it’s absolutely perfect

“In the beginning, I was like any other dad. ‘Oh, I’m gonna get him in sports,’ right? And so when we start, first soccer, and then football … And then, you know, I saw early on, he’s playing with dolls, he likes to play dress-up, but then if I come in, he would hide all that. But I saw it.

I think, as he got older and older, you start seeing it. But he never said anything. So I think he was trying to keep it from me. And then finally he felt strong enough that he could finally tell me.

And so he made me change. It wasn’t he who had to adjust. I had to adjust. And I finally told him. I said, ‘Let me tell you something, you’re my son. I love you. I don’t care, if you want to be a gay man, I’m supporting that. I’m supporting you.’

And when he finally announced it to the world, I saw all the letters that came in around the world, that he affected all these other young people who wanted to come out to their parents and gave them the strength to do it. So, now we’re like best of friends. And I tell him all the time, ‘I’m so proud of you. Live your life just like I’m living my life. Love who you want to love. Dad is going to support you all the way.’ “Magic Johnson speaking to Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe about raising a gay son.

Related: A powerful gay NBA executive talks about how he found a welcoming home in San Francisco

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