Does your family realize Gay Uncles Day returns this Sunday?

It started as a fun, social media hashtag campaign, #GayUnclesDay, last summer and snowballed. The inaugural Gay Uncles Day took place last August. The idea came from a Florida-based Facebook user, C.J Hatter.

Hatter first suggested designating the second Sunday of August as Gay Uncles Day back in spring 2016. The second Gay Uncles Day will be Sunday 13 August 2017.

‘I have to admit that I was thrilled with the response to the first annual Gay Uncles Day!,’ he told GSN, before going on to explain the thinking behind the concept.

‘The idea grew from personal experiences, combined with genealogical research. I’ve always recognized that I will forever be a dead end in my family tree.

‘Upon researching my family’s history, I discovered a similar dead ends in virtually every generation of every branch of my tree, leading me to suspect that, at least, a high percentage of these cases were LGBT persons.

‘My second cousin was a perfect example. Because he was my mother’s favorite cousin, she was able to tell me that he never married, lived with his male “partner” for many years until said partner’s death, and was cared for in old age by the partner’s son.

CJ Hatter | Facebook

CJ Hatter with two of his grand-nieces, Tacoma and Macey

‘Unfortunately, I never knew of his existence until after his death, and research to learn more about him has been fruitless.

‘Families seldom discuss, as recently as the current generation, these unrecognized characters who contribute significantly to the family, though usually not by extending their own branch of the tree.

‘I want society to stop turning away from LGBT through simple ignorance. I want our contributions to the extended family to be not only recognized, but celebrated.

‘I want parents to stop being hesitant to acknowledge that Uncle Johnny is gay, and that he is nevertheless an integral part of the family.

‘Throughout human history, gay men have…

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