For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 11, 2022

So blame his father for abandoning him

Whose fault is it anyway when your child’s/friend’s sexual orientation isn’t the same as your own?

Too protective??

This from the woman who would arbitrarily dump her son with the Pattersons in order to chase after Elly’s brother Phil!!

Thank God in Australia we now accept our kids coming out and living a normal, same as everyone else life. It still upsets some people but the rest of us just accept life as it is.

I really don’t like Connie right now

Love is Love !

There is no need to blame anyone. Just accept your son for who he is.

My male cousin was molested by his uncle as a child. He is gay. But honestly, I do NOT think this makes you gay. In fact, he is a fraternal twin and my suspicion is that there was something in utero with hormones that had a role in this. Who really knows? I wonder if there are “gay animals”? I’ve never seen this addressed. But I truly believe you are born this way. Nobody CHOOSES to take the harder road.

better get her some Homocil

Blame god, if you believe that he has a plan then this is part of it too.

Each person is an individual, no two are alike, so how can we expect everyone to have the same sexual orientation. Just love and support your son/daughter.

It’s more important that you love than who you love.

Ah, the ole “I wan born that way” trope. Well, we are ALL born “that way” – sinners seeking to satisfy our base instincts.

We all have temptations to avoid – sex outside of marriage, adultery, pornography, self-satisfaction and some with same-sex attraction that they don’t control. We are all called to control and avoid these temptations and there are good ways to do so . Sex was designed for marriage between a man and a woman to promote unitive love and procreation.

We must all seek to master ourselves and our natural interest in pursuing these sins (not just lust, but gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy, greed too). We must all support each other and love others who sin to help them overcome these sins ; and seek help from others to overcome our own sins.

Why live a life based on hedonism? Live one based on working to better yourself on the path laid out by Jesus for the Glory of God and to form yourself into the way you were created: in the image and likeness of God.

Connie should use the Nicodemus argument, during Jesus’ time. Namely, if he is homosexual, then there’s nothing you can do about it; but, if it’s just a phase, then he’ll pass right through it. So, calm down and let time tell you the truth.

My only issue is his age. Teens have all kinds of thoughts and feelings while their brain is developing. Fortunately coming out as gay does not involve surgery or hormones.

I wonder if an emotional response like this is good or if a silent acceptance and a shrug (ke sara sara) sort of thing is better. Sort of like she cares or she doesn’t care. I’m not sure which is worse, or better.

When my brother came out, my father berated him for doing so while standing in front of the TV during the football.

Seems like Lawrence is the grown-up here.

And that punchline is a universal human truth. We all need to find a scapegoat, or at best a cause, for our problems.

And Lawrence’s deadbeat dad is above reproach?

Connie’s not going to argue her son out of this. Time to show her love and support of him.

There is NO blame to be had by anyone. It is a fact of life, some people are gay, and there is nothing they or you ever did to cause it. There is NO cause for it; not parenting, not society, not porn ( as some clerics claim). Why do some people have blue eyes and others have brown? Genetics. Why are some people right handed and others left handed? Genetics. There are some things that can never be explained. Homosexuality is one of them. It just IS.

There have been recorded instances of LGBT people in pretty much every civilization or human population throughout the world and throughout time. There is even some good evidence that some other animals also exhibit same sex attraction behavior. The only realistic cause of such a wide spread trait is genetics. Cultural acceptance will make the percentages per population vary somewhat but at its root is a biological variation. No one is to blame just as no one is to blame for some people having blue eyes its just the way life has evolved.

Great support for you son Mom geeeezzzz :P

I wonder if this is being run in newspapers in Florida?

Reading these comments shows that no one understands it, but people pretend to

Is a puzzlement?

Egads! Talk about losing your cool. Those words may just hang around for a very long time.

I’m always amazed at how many people think because their child isn’t “straight” it’s something bad…their child is still their child and with their ignorant and negative attitude they could lose that child forever…..they need to just accept their child for what and who they are.

It’s in the genes, too. It is OK.

Face it. He’s a faggot. He has no ability to converse with the opposite sex. That’s why they become faggots.

Last I heard it runs on the mothers side of the family.

Rember this is actually from 1993 not today.

Lynn Johnston’s son later remarked that growing up with his mother had similarities to Connie and Lawrence. Lynn felt guilty about the breakup of the marriage between her and his father. As such, she was overprotective of her son to the extent of that if even he did so much as stub his toe, she would cry.

To be fair, Connie has not punched any stop signs nor kicked any fire hydrants.

I did not support gay marriage until 2012, so it is possible for people to change. The fact that 2012 was the year of my re-election campaign…is purely coincidental.

Feel bad for the mom this is beyond her control.

You have to bear in mind that this strip was originally published probably 30+ years ago. Attitudes and understanding have evolved.

For a long time there were those who despised John, put down Elly, called Michael a pig, and Elizabeth a dumb blonde. But now we have a new group…

…Conniehaters!

My dad was the same when I came out. He thought it was his fault or something. I laughed and said “No Dad, it wasn’t you or mom or anyone. I knew I was like this very young. So please don’t blame yourself”. We bonded even closer that day. I will never forget it. RIP Mom & Dad. Love you and Ma to the ends of the earth!

On a side bar,one of my favorite entertainers,Joel Grey(CABARET) waited until he was in his 70’s to come out as gay.Long-term mARRIED WITH A “dIRTY DANCING”daugter.

Too bad they did not have cell phone cameras in 1993. Lawrence should have recorded him being pushed into doing this, then his mother’s reaction. Afterwards, it would come down on Michael like an iceberg on an ocean liner.

There is no one to blame. They are as they are. Would you be upset if your child’s hair was blonde or brown? Or their eyes were blue or brown? It’s simply the way they are born. Not a ‘lifestyle’ choice, choice is not involved. Not a sin, not a crime, just biology. It’s just the way they are, part of their genes. It’s not wrong, just different. Some people are heterosexual, some are homosexual and some are nonsexual. My best friend was not interested in sex with either gender or attracted to either gender. She could appreciate the beauty of the human form, but had no desire for closeness outside of friendship with anyone. It’s just the way she was. Gays are they way they are, no blame, no weirdness, just the way they are.

Lynn, thank you for this courageous story arc. You are helping LGBTQ teens and others find their way through this painful stage of life. And parents, too!

Mom will come around.

Too bad she does not realize that Lawrence is now entitled to welfare and other government benefits, all for being gay.

Blame…as if this were some a terrible thing. He didn’t kill anyone, he’s not a drug addict, he didn’t rob a bank.

Another issue with sexuality is the percentage of people who have some level of homosexuality. I look at it on a scale of twenty. One being decidedly heterosexual and twenty being entirely homosexual. That leaves a percentage of grey area. Many in this grey area have made a choice, one way or the other, either by their own volition, or by environmental dictate. In census terms, we haven’t allowed for that. Many in this grey area for reasons only they can answer, have worked to suppress the lessor tendencies. Some don’t and consider themselves to be bisexual. But even in that realm, there tends to be a lessor/greater tendency. In that respect, considering oneself as either gay or straight becomes a difficult question. I have known many men who did what was expected by marrying a woman and having children, only to come to or succumb to the realization they are more gay than straight and pursue a gay encounter or relationship. It is by far not a cut-and-dried situation for many.

There has been a lot of interesting and thoughtful discussion here from both sides. Thank you to all of you for the lack of name-calling, back-biting and general rancor in this discussion.

Is he biracial?

I get that this is and older strip and that times have changed.

But why does she have to ‘blame’ anyone. My daughter is gay. It was not a surprise. She always has been. I didn’t ‘blame’ anyone. She’s a great person, her sexual preference doesn’t change that.

I’m reminded of the McDonald’s TV ad with the father and his closeted gay teenaged son (Google it) and the reaction from a clueless local news anchor who couldn’t understand what the big deal was about telling a parent that you’re gay.

Now the time to hug you’re son tell him everything will be ok.