A family had almost had a 'meeting' about their gay son before his mom shut it down

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 9, 2023. It has since been updated.

Do you remember as a child how one of your parents would call for a family meeting? You always knew it was for something serious because otherwise, your family could just discuss it over dinner. This system is perhaps the closest thing the nuclear family has to an intervention without getting a mental health professional involved. For Twitter user Cydney Prescott, an openly gay Black man who goes by the username @RETRO__ray on the social media platform, the family meeting almost became a traumatic event he would not soon forget. That is before his mother stepped in and made sure that she was not there to play around.

The incident took place during Christmas time (a season when our relatives' homophobia and other bigotry become all too clear to us all). Prescott explained, "[On Christmas], I found out my family tried to have a 'meeting' about me being gay and my mom CLEARED THE [MOTHERF*CKING] ROOM." He then shared how his mother responded to the call for a family meeting about his sexuality. "I do not give a f*ck how none of y’all feel. HE’S MINE! And if you don’t want to deal with him, f*ck you because you don't have to. BUT I KNOW none of you will have sh*t to say to me about it!" The tweet has been retweeted over 28.3k times since it was first posted. Furthermore, it has received more than 253.9k likes from Twitter users across the world.

To Prescott, the act was a compassionate and loving affirmation of the man he is. Others on Twitter recognized this as well, and warm wishes and appreciation came flooding in. One Twitter user responded, "Uh... Did they not know that you don't mess with a Black woman's child? Walking into a slaughter." Another added, "We stan a queen! And dare somebody to try either of y’all!" Evidently, the Twitter user's mother had found a small fan following of her own online.

Once his tweet gained popularity, he informed his mother that Twitter users were sending her their love. In response, she of course sent some love right back and even mentioned that she thought all the responses were hilarious. The young man soon went on to start his own YouTube channel, where he uploaded a video with none other than his mother Prescott herself. In the 10-minute-long video, the two discuss what it was like for her to raise a gay child, its struggles and the battle for acceptance.

For those in the LGBTQ+ community, acceptance from family members can make a world of difference. It can literally be the difference between having a roof over their heads to experiencing homelessness. Rates of homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth are some of the highest. If you or someone you know is sadly not as fortunate to have a loving parent like Prescott's, you can visit this page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to find resources such as government agencies and community organizations.