Were you raised believing that gay couples are normal or not

Totally normal. My mom and dad were not and still not religious people. We never went to church which is probably why I align with atheism today. DH and I are raising our kids the same way. No religious influence and people are just people and deserve to be treated equally no matter who they love or who they are.

One of my best friends from middle/high school is gay and he came out in 9th grade. It honestly boggles my mind that some people want to tell others who they can and can't marry.

I was raised Catholic and lived in liberal Southern California. In particular, Santa Monica Canyon. There is a small gay community at the foot of the canyon near the beach. I recall walking to the beach as a kid and walking past the SS Friendship right off PCH. It was a gay bar that looked like it had the front of a ship sticking out. I remember peeking in as I walked by, more out of childhood curiosity than anything. I wonder if it is still there. Anyway, I always knew gay people existed, but don't recall my parents denouncing them. I do remember being taught in Catholic school that sex out of marriage was a sin. But I grew up to form my own liberal views on sexual orientation, choice, etc. I guess you would call me a cafeteria Catholic. I have raised my kids with these same liberal views. I have been very outspoken with them in my support for the LGBT community.

I was raised Mormon. They to this day believe they are sinners and can marry away the gay.

No, I no longer believe that, because science.

The same reason I don't believe anything religious or super natural at all.

I'm 57 and grew up in the South, in a conservative town, but we were Jews. So my upbringing was radically more liberal than that of many of my friends, and focus on sin was something we left to the Christians.

I don't remember speaking about homosexuality one way or another in my family and I wasn't aware of any gay couples. My mother was very involved in an organization promoting education and services to developmentally delayed children and their primary fundraiser was to put on a annual theatrical variety show production, for which they imported a director from NYC who was invariably gay. (Of course, at this time, it was covert, not overt). Over the years we often had the directors over for dinner. I guess the general sentiment in my family was "Yeah, he's a little different" but it wasn't looked at as a bad thing.

Growing up, it wasn't something really talked about or made an issue of. I don't really recall it being a thing until much later as an adult.

In our house, we have 2 kids (14 and almost 12). We have open conversations about it. I have tried to let my kids know that whether or not you agree with the gay lifestyle, it doesn't mean you hate or dislike them. I have also spoke with (especially my son) about being careful what you say if you disagree with it. He is going into high school and our daughter is in middle school. Just recently we had a conversation about this and that at this age, those that are discovering they are gay or trans, are most likely having a hard time accepting it or going about making it known. We need to be accepting and compassionate.

This may not be coming across the way I want it to. I hope it does though.

I wasn't taught one way or the other.

My aunt is gay. When I was young, her partner was her "roommate." They split up when I was 8 or so? The next girlfriend is the one I remember the best and when I understood that she wasn't just a roommate, but her partner. We did Christmas at her place for the longest time. Even though they had split shortly before her partner was diagnosed with stomach cancer, all of us supported her through her final days and my aunt took care of her at home where she later died. We attended her funeral. My Dad called my aunt's former partner his little sister. (my Dad is the oldest of the three) After the Supreme Court ruling, my aunt and her current partner married. My aunt is 60 and finally got married, legally, for the first time in MI. She and her previous partner had traveled to states that recognized gay marriage long before the Supreme Court did and got married.

I always knew my Dad and aunt's parents didn't agree with the gay lifestyle and my aunt didn't come out of the closet until the early 80's (hence, the first partner I knew of being a "roommate"). I recently found out my Mom didn't like it and, for the longest time, would not leave me and my sister alone with her. My Mom's parents were very conservative and were taught it is wrong. I want to say she's much more accepting now, but I don't think so. She still has negative things to say about gay people as well as black and Hispanic people. She recently made a remark against Muslims too so I don't think she's as open-minded as she tries to claim she is. Despite that, my parents never specifically told us it was wrong. I always just took it as that's just the way it is, that they are born that way just like we are born a certain color, with certain hair color, eye color, etc.

I have a cousin on my Mom's side that I suspect is gay. However, her parents (Mom's brother) are Mormon and have raised their kids to be devout Mormons. At least three of my cousins's kids have gone on missions and two others are prepping for one. The one cousin has never married and I have never heard of her having a boyfriend of any kind while the rest of her siblings all have gotten married and have two or three kids each. She's in her mid-40's. I know my aunt and uncle did not acknowledge my Dad's sister much and I remember them sitting as far away as possible from her and her partner at my first wedding. I wonder if she ever came out, would her family disown her? One of her sisters has a daughter who is dating a non-Mormon and she's upset that he's not Mormon.

I was raised by conservatives who were not highly educated (but really hard workers). I don't remember anyone saying anything about gay people ever.

I am an older pea, and I grew up in a non-religious household so gay marriage was something that never came up. And as someone else already mentioned, it was not until AIDS became known in the 80's did homosexuality really start coming up in my everyday life. There was a gay couple that lived a few houses down from me when I was growing up. I never heard anyone talk bad about them.

I grew up in The Bay Area in the 70's in a Mormon family and it was not discussed at all. People were people. My second grade teacher was a gay man, and I loved him dearly and was never taught to judge him differently in any way.

Erin

I'm in my early 40's and was raised in rural Montana. It didn't come up a lot in our household because there weren't any gay people that we knew or were exposed to on television, movies etc. However, I was raised knowing that it was "wrong" because it was "different". While I wouldn't say my parents are totally accepting now, they would accept a gay family member without much fuss and at least my mom is ok with gay marriage. The biggest thing I hear is "Why does it have to be in our face all the time? I don't want to see two men kissing on TV." To be fair they don't want to see anyone kissing on TV. They are very prudish and I was raised with a "anything sexual is to be kept behind closed doors" attitude.

I wouldn't say I was ever anti-gay but I did have the "it's different so it's wrong" thoughts until my mid to late 20's. Today I'm fully supportive of the LGBT community. I still don't have a ton of exposure to it (I guess I don't attract gay friends). However rural Montana does not have a huge gay community so it's still a little backward in its thinking. They are big on "you do you" so everyone would be welcoming to them but some would be privately teaching their kids that we don't believe in the gay "lifestyle".

When I was growing up, it wasn't really a subject that was in the fore-front.  No one really talked about gay couples back then.  The first time I even heard or knew what the word "gay"  meant was when the TV show Soap first aired and everyone was all up in arms about its adult content and "gay" character.  I think I was about 14 at the time. 

I really didn't hear much about gay couples until I was in my 20s and started going to nightclubs where I met some gay people (and became friends with some people that I am still friends with today). 

So to answer the question "Were you raised believing that gay couples are normal or not"  - I would have to say "neither" - it just simply wasn't talked about.

Interesting post. I've never heard my mom say anything about gay people at all, now that I think about it, either pro or con.

My dad was born in 1950 and like many men his age considered that behavior completely unmanly and something to ridicule. I remember him making fun of anyone he considered "light in the loafers", but he never went on about it being a sin. And I don't mean he was calling people out on the street, just making cracks about it in private.
We weren't a religious household and didn't discuss sin really, only really bad things like stealing or lying, etc.

In the last decade he's really become a lot more understanding. I think understanding and tolerance has come a long, long way since I was a kid.

I don't ever remember it being a topic of conversation. We had family friends who were gay or lesbian. Their sexuality was never discussed though, no one's was.