A reformed homophobe told all of Reddit how a coworker turned him into a card-carrying gay ally, and commenters are raving about the “amazing,” “wonderful,” and “beautiful” story.
The user started off by confessing that he was a “vocal and hateful gay basher” in his teen years. “I didn’t know just how many of my close friends were gay because, let’s face it, people who think they’re smart tend to be somewhat out of touch until life gives them an attitude adjustment,” he wrote.
Related: Reddit users offer their best comebacks for someone who uses ‘gay’ as a pejorative
His homophobic views started to turn around once he started working an office job and was seated at a partner desk with Randy, the “first openly gay and proud man” he’d ever met. “He made no apologies for who he was, at a point in time where the HIV and AIDS crisis had produced many asshole opinions just like mine,” he explained.
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“The day Randy started his job I made my position about homosexuality horrifically, rudely clear,” the Redditor added. “He smiled, and with a politeness that I never deserved, said that he was sorry that I let his homosexuality bother me. But that it wasn’t going to get in the way of us getting good solid work done together.”
And how! Not only did Randy excel at his job, he performed even better than the Redditor, though Randy never acted superior. “From the bottom of his heart, if Randy could help another person out, that was what he wanted to do,” the Redditor remembered. “I became better at my job because of him.”
Related: We may not be looking for hetero heroes, but we still need straight allies
“And of course, I also came to realize that Randy was the kindest, most decent human being I had ever met,” he added. “I came to respect him as both a coworker and a friend. And through him I came to realize that it takes a truly lost person to hate someone because of who they love. Randy could have brushed me aside as just another bigoted homophobe, because that’s it’s exactly what I was. But he didn’t. Neither did Randy set out to make me a better person or change my mind. Randy chose to be who he was, no matter what, when it seemed like the whole world, especially his officemate, was against him.”
“He didn’t choose to change my way of thinking; my way of thinking simply could not stand up to the powerful decency of this man.”
In the end, Randy won, the Redditor wrote. “He won in being the best man he knew how to be, and he won in allowing others to accept it, or not, with no anger and no apologies. When the day finally came that I moved on to another company, I hugged Randy to say goodbye, and I cried because I knew I was going to miss my friend. We kept in touch for years, but we’ve lost touch now. I’m a boring 50-something hetero husband and father who has a great understanding of the value of my coworkers and my fellow man now. I have a daughter who’s a proud member of the LGBT+ community, and I’m the first to show off her girlfriend to my family and friends.”
Wicked Dickie
So is the homophobe the guy in the wheelchair, or plaid shirt? Oh, that’s just a stock photo that has nothing to do with the alleged story. Or better yet, does Queerty want us to automatically assume that a person in a wheelchair can’t be a homophobe, because, you know ***whispers, “they’re paralyzed”***
Reddit is where failed writers go to get noticed.
DarkZephyr
You really do have a poisoned ice heart. All you could take away from this article is another chance to attack Queerty. This is an interesting story and I for one am glad they made it available to us. I don’t spend all day perusing Reddit. I barely ever glance at it, so I would never have come across this story otherwise. Why don’t you just stop coming to this site if you hate it so much, and keep your bitterness to yourself? This is an LGBT blog and they shared an LGBT human interest story that was actually very touching. Why does it matter that it came to their attention from reddit? You certainly contribute nothing of value.
ajax
Um… Going from “I hate you ” to “You’re a good guy” does not make someone an ally. An ally is someone who fights for you.
Brian
This sounds like it happened decades ago, near the height of the AIDS epidemic, and he has a lesbian daughter who he seems proud of. I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s now an ally.
Jack Meoff
This just sounds like someone wanting browny points because he now has a lesbian daughter.
Cam
And just imagine how exhausting it is for Randy to have to repeat this at every job he has, every neighborhood he moves into, and wherever else he goes.
Because every story like this makes it very clear that it is apparently the minorities job to reform the bigot. Today, after years of Republican craziness, Randy should just report the guy to H.R. and enjoy working with whomever they replace him with.
billygfa
Its just time to stop being bitter queens and let a nice story warm your cold, cold hearts instead of finding someone or something to last out at. Its exhausting trying to be a nice person in this community.
Mr-DJ
Is it just me are is it starting to sound like some people don’t actually WANT to hear about or know about these kinds of stories? Because it seems like they prefer the alternative – that guys like this just continue being homophobes, or that their stories not even be told.
kookookachoo
Now, once again, I know why I usually skip the comments. Thanks to the nice people here, you know who you are. ~koo
Bourgeois Pig
I didn’t even notice the wheelchair in the photo. I guess I don’t seek out the negative in everything I look at/read. This was a very heartwarming story that had more value than I think people give it credit for. As a 50yo gay man, I grew up during the AIDS crisis and experienced the hatred and animosity placed upon gay men and the self loathing/fear it created in other gay men. This is an extremely positive article and I hope others see it as such. If you weren’t alive during that period learn from those who were. BTW, you can always “not” read the article thus “not” requiring negative comments. Find something positive in your life (if it exists).