Today’s Video Story was collected on the 50-state Story Tour. Check out the blog where you can follow us on our adventure. If you haven’t submitted a story yet to IFD, or if you want to submit another one, I’d love to read and publish it. Write one up and send it in.
I’m Carissa Fuller and I’m from Alamogordo, New Mexico. I’m Josie Fuller Salisbury and I’m from Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Josie: And the way I found out about my daughter was that she went out one night and I was very angry, the next morning and that’s when she came out and told me she was gay. And, I didn’t accept it at first.
Carissa: My brother had ended up taking me out because it was going to be my sweet sixteenth, so he wanted to show me a good time and all. And I met up with this girl and we ended up just hanging out, and they dropped up off in the alley the next morning and we went home and my mom, she came in and we told her some fake story. She fell for it a little bit and we thought we were all good but then my sister came and she went inside and told my mom what really had happened. I guess it was her friend that I had ended up being with that night and then my mom came out there and asked if she could talk to me and she sat down at the table and she asked me if what my sister had told her was true and I told her “Yes, that it was true” and she went crazy from there. She got all mad.
Josie: I was really angry. Throwing plates and telling her I disowned her and it was overwhelming thinking that my daughter’s not going to heaven, she’s going to die with AIDS, and all this other stuff that people put into your brain and you just don’t know how to accept it you know and for people to say “Well, what are you going to do? How are you going to change her?” I was confused and when I started telling Henry all this stuff he’s like “You can’t change her, she’s who she is and God made everybody different.” I’m like, “Yeah, I know God made everybody different, but she’s my daughter, you know?!” We just talked about it for a long time, I’m sorry, it was just really hurtful at the time, and I just love my daughter, no matter what, and like right now, she’s going through a lot with her dad and it hurts, you know? When people put your kids down, no matter what they are, they’re still my kids, you know? And seeing the tough times that she’s been going through because of her being gay, it hurts but I just support her and I’m behind her and I tell her “You know, things are going to work out. You be who you are. Don’t pretend that you’re something else.” And that’s how we worked it out, you know?
Carissa: It brought us a lot closer too, because we didn’t really talk as much and when she came more immune to it, or whatever, it brought us closer, to her talk instead of just a friend or something. And I just started talking to her. It brought us much closer too.
Carissa is so sweet..I love this Mom too..My parents knew I dated both women and men but no one really talked about it. I think she kind of pretended that she didn’t hear me at first lol.. I was on my own at 16, after an incredibly difficult relationship with my mom..So, maybe I didn’t come from a place of fear like a lot of other teens..I had nothing to lose by being open about my life..Maybe it really was a non-issue for them..We still don’t speak, so maybe it will never really be resolved..But I’m not sure I need to resolve that with her..Does that make sense?
I am so glad that Josie chose to listen to the love in her heart that she had for her daughter, Carissa. She truly embraced her God within and followed in Jesus’ footsteps of love and acceptance. I have spent the past few years trying to gain a better understanding of the Christian position against homosexuality by reading various books by theologians and biblical scholars. The knowledge I have gained has helped me to understand that the anti-gay rhetoric espoused by certain Christian organizations does by no means honor nor reflect the true word of God. Carissa was created exactly as God intended; a uniquely special human being.