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Extra! Extra! Read All About It: Mom Runs Newspaper Ad for Son's Coming Out
“And yes, he adores Barbra Streisand.”
Houston, Texas got quite the "Celebrations" announcement on Sunday when the Houston Chronicle ran an ad from a proud mother in honor of her son Drake coming out.
"The parents of Drake are pleased to announce that their son has come out. Drake is currently a senior in High School where he is captain of the tennis team, ASB (Associated Student Body) Vice President and NHS (National Honor Society) member. He is a church deacon and enjoys film making and baking. And yes, he adores Barbra Streisand."
The high school senior in question, Drake Wilson, has his mother Joan to thank. Joan took put up the ad in response to Houston's repeal of the city's inclusive Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, last November. The ordinance had banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and 11 other characteristics in employment, housing, and public accommodation.
"I couldn't think of a better place than Houston, out of the entire country, where they needed to hear my message of pride," Joan Wilson told the Texas Observer. According to Wilson, her son was born gay and created by God. "My announcement was my way of humanizing the issue."
Drake initially came out to his mom in February of 2014, but he didn't plan on coming out publicly until college, but HBO's The Normal Heart inspired him to do otherwise. In August 2014, Drake, with aplogies to all the ladies out there, posted a coming out video on YouTube.
Cue the Diana Ross:
After her son came out, Joan started The Society of Lucky Mothers, a group for "proud mothers committed to talking about the elephant in the room by first celebrating that it has come out of the closet!"
Well, Joan's elephant is out and getting ready to leave the nest. He's applied to 15 colleges with hopes of getting into Columbia University. Though she'll surely miss him, Joan might approve of Drake moving to New York.
"We are blessed to live in a state which has passed anti-discrimination laws," Mama Joan said. "As a mother, I have much trepidation in thinking my son might one day live in a state such as Texas."
