It sounds like the setup for an off-color joke: A boy comes out to his mother, who then calls a gay bar asking advice as to what she should do.
But such was the situation this week when a mother rang up a Mississippi gay bar called well, Sipps, asking the bartender what she should say to her newly-out son.
Related:Â âModern Familyâ star adds fuel to rogue bisexual coming out
The bartender that night was a certain Kara Cowley, who picked up the phone, and hereâs how the convo went (via Gay Times UK):
How about we take this to the next level?
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Me: Good evening. Thank you for calling Sipps!
Lady on phone: Is this a gay bar?
Me: Well, we are an everybody bar, but yes mostly gay.
Lady: Can I ask you a�
Me: Sure.
Lady: Are you Gay?
Me: YES MAâAM
Lady: What was the one thing you wanted from your parents when you came out?
Me: UmmâŠ.
Lady: My son just came out to me and I donât want to say anything that may mess him up in the head.
Me: Well I think that you should just make sure he knows that you love and acceptâŠ. Wait, do you accept it?
Lady: Well umm yes, if thatâs what he wants.
Me: You should definitely let him know that you love and accept him! I think everything will be OK from there!
Lady: OK, well, thank you.
Me: You are very welcome and good luck!
Coley shared the whole convo on Facebook and her response was met with rapturous praise:Â
So I got the most random phone call at the bar tonight! đMe:Good evening Thankyou for calling Sipps!Lady on phone: IsâŠ
Posted by Kara Coley on Friday, January 19, 2018
âThis is called progress,â she writes.
âWhen a mother doesnât know how to react, she asks for advice,â says one commenter.
âAnd that isnât just good motherhood, that is a sign that the fight for equality is only becoming closer and closer to being over.â
Related:Â Footage of a gay pool party in 1945 has surfaced online and itâs pretty incredible
Another said:
âBefore my Bubba came out, I had known since we were kids he was gay. I didnât care because that was who he was. Iâm so thankful to see someone called for advice and you handled it beautifully!â
In closing, hip-hip huzzah!
Kangol
Cool story. Who are the guys in the stock photo? Are they linked in any way to this story? That’s unclear.
Dashing Partycrasher
Haha–I thought the same thing. It’s just clickbait for more page views.
am_psi
Congratulations, on your successful publicity stunt, Sipps.
Dashing Partycrasher
Yes, they get good publicity, but I doubt that a gay bar in Gulfport will get throngs of new customers from it. The story sounds pretty legit based on the bartender’s Facebook post.
bobbyjoe79
am_psi I was actually present as a patron when this call in fact did occur just as it was stated. She posted it on her FB and nowhere else, it got picked up by people sharing. Also she is the biggest LGBTQ advocate on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. From her just in 2017 we had our first Gay pride celebration for the gulf coast. Discredit the bar, the area whatever you deem necessary but her knee jerk heart felt response should not be discredited.
Dave in Northridge
It’s SO easy to be cynical about things like this. Can we please start taking things at face value for once?
dean089
Thank you!
Larry
So the story here is what the bar said and NOT the fact that a mother has no clue how she treats and talks to her son? Did this bar pay Queery for the placement of this advertisement?
Brian
No, the story is that a mother loved her son enough to reach out to somebody for advice to make sure she didn’t say the wrong thing to her son at a particularly momentous time in his life. How in the fvck are you turning her into a bad person for doing this? A$$shole.
Dashing Partycrasher
At first, I thought “how cute that the mom thought to call a gay bar”. But on second thought, I find it a bit sad that she (and presumably most parents in that area) don’t know about local gay and lesbian centers, which would probably provide better advice or resources (like a phone hotline) in such situations.
A quick web search shows there’s the Mississippi Rainbow Center in nearby Biloxi. Maybe she did call them first and nobody answered (their website don’t list a hotline), so she had no choice but to call a gay bar. My point here is: support your local gay and lesbian center, and tell them that you want part of your donation to go to advertisements and outreach to the straight community–especially parents.
draven
Next time just goggle… not that serious.
chris33133
Cool bartender.
I think that he’d have gotten some high-fives from the owner had he added: “Tell him that, when he’s old enough, to come to Sipps.” đ
Portland Bud
When I managed a gay bar (back in the early 1980s in Boise, Idaho) it was not unusual to receive a call from a person newly coming out wanting advice and from parents wondering what to do.
In the two years that I worked at the bar I received at least a dozen calls myself.
I would tell the parents and the person coming out about the Metropolitan Community Church in town and times to come to the bar that would not be as intimidating. Back then the bar was as much a community center as it was a place to dance and drink. I spent several happy hours meeting with parents and first time gay customers helping them feel at ease and answering questions. Boise was and is a great town to come out in. I have not lived there in years, but get back at least once a year. A beautiful place with a friendly community.
petej
kudos to the mom. smart to “go to the street” for an opinion from one who lives it every day. everyone knows good bartenders have to be psychologists too. and mom got great, succinct advice!