It’s kinda hard to believe it’s 2025 and, despite the best efforts of the gay rights movement, homophobia is still a thing. You’d think by now homosexuality wouldn’t be such a big deal, but a lot of closed-minded people still have a problem with it, sadly.
One netizen reveals how his homophobic uncle always shamed and berated him for being gay. Little did his uncle know that he’d spotted him on the Grindr app, though, giving him the perfect moment to get his revenge in front of the whole family.
More info: Reddit
RELATED:Being a target of homophobia is never easy, but this guy found the perfect opportunity to get his revenge
For five long years after he came out, his uncle constantly harassed, teased, and shamed him for being gay
The guy knew his uncle was in the closet after spotting him on Grindr in a very compromising pic, but kept it to himself
Then, years later at a family dinner, the uncle was ranting about how Pride parades were wrong, so he hit back by finally outing him in front of everyone
Now some of his family is giving him grief for humiliating his uncle, so he turned to the internet to ask if outing him was a jerk move
Coming out can be tough, but being out and still dealing with that one family member? Even tougher. OP, now 25, came out at 20 and thought his family was cool with it, all except for Uncle Dave. Dave, 45, kept making cringey comments like “Don’t act so gay” or “Real men don’t flaunt it.” Classic awkward uncle energy, right?
At a family dinner, Dave launched into a tirade about Pride parades being “perverts wanting attention” and how “real men” shouldn’t make a scene. His toxic masculinity was thriving until OP finally called him out, labeling him homophobic, but Dave smugly dismissed him, saying OP’s generation is “obsessed with labels.”
That’s when OP decided to drop the bomb. He’d secretly spotted Dave on Grindr before, recognizing him instantly by his torso tattoo, in a very NSFW pose, so, in front of the whole family, he clapped back, “That’s rich coming from a guy who’s on Grindr every weekend.” Cue the sound of a wine glass shattering – and probably Dave’s dignity, too.
Now, opinions are split. Some family members say Dave deserved it, while others say outing someone, even a homophobic jerk, is never okay. OP feels torn. After years of jabs and veiled insults, it felt like justice. He admits to the community that outing someone is dangerous, but is now wondering if he crossed a line, or if Dave’s hypocrisy finally had to be challenged.
Who can blame OP for finally snapping? Exposing Dave’s double life might’ve been a bit drastic, but it was all he had to hit back with in the moment, and to be fair, Dave did bring it on himself. Why would he act that way when he’s gay himself, though? We went looking for answers.
According to The Rainbow Project website, in our homophobic, heterosexist, discriminatory culture, we’re constantly exposed to unfavorable ideas and messaging about homosexuality.
Like everyone else, members of the LGBTQI community may be socialized into thinking that being non-heterosexual is somehow wrong. This can lead to feelings of self-hatred and, ultimately, something called “internalized homophobia.”
Internalized homophobia manifests itself in varying ways that can be linked to mental health, including denial of your sexual orientation to yourself and others, attempts to alter or change your sexual orientation, and contempt for more open or obvious members of the LGBTQI community. Sounds a lot like Uncle Dave, doesn’t it?
In her article for VeryWellMind, Ariane Resnick writes that there is no single life circumstance that causes us to internalize homophobia. Rather, any variety of factors may lead us to feel negatively about ourselves. Some of these include family and upbringing, religious beliefs and teachings, and cultural influences.
Perhaps OP’s outburst was the best thing that could have happened to his uptight uncle in the end. Now that Dave’s been unceremoniously outed, he can start working on shedding his internalized homophobia and replacing it with pride and open-mindedness.
What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think Dave finally got what he deserved? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers agreed the guy wasn’t a jerk and slammed his family for being so unsupportive of him in the face of his uncle’s constant homophobia over the years
