Cheyenne Jackson's kids came out as 'not gay' and his reaction is a lesson in parenting

Cheyenne Jackson was witness a "big night" with his husband, Jason Landau after their kids came out to them, saying they are, in fact, "not gay." According to Comic Sands, "coming out" is a phrase that is used to describe an LGBTQ+ person's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. In an Instagram video that garnered over 30,000 likes, Jackson talks about the whole ordeal and it couldn't get any cuter. “I wanted to share something recently that happened,” Jackson said in the video. “A big night at our family, a big night for any parent,” he continued with an all too familiar dad tone.

“Our kids came out. As straight. We were eating dinner and out of the blue, Willow says, ‘I don’t think I’m gay.’” Just like any supportive parents, Jackson and Landau love their children regardless of who they're attracted to. “Okay, great, we love you no matter what,” he told his daughter, Willow, before his son, Ethan, joined in the conversation too. “Then, Ethan, without missing a beat and without looking up from his food, goes, ‘Yeah, I’m not gay either... but I want to go to the parade.” As light-hearted as the video is, Jackson and Landau's way of validating their children's feelings is precious. The comments were flooded with praise for the couple's parenting skills. @laurabellbundy commented, "I just love everything about all of that. And you. ❤️. I still wanna go to the parade too." I mean, don't we all?

Some people in the comments shared their own experiences too. Like @ktrsbklyn, who said: "When my daughter was about 12, she came out as straight (her dad and I are both straight). She said she thought everyone should come out and no one should automatically assume people are straight. 💙." @callisong0222 chimed in: "And that’s ok. And maybe when they get older, they may feel differently. But the point is to always make your kids feel loved and safe enough so they can express themselves freely. And that is what you guys have done. So Bravo!" In a world like today, where everyone feels easily misunderstood and left out, it is so something to make them feel needed and loved. Especially kids.

Jackson and his husband were married in 2014 and welcomed their twins in 2016. In an interview with Advocate, Jackson talked about how he never felt a sense of "belongingness" while growing up. "Growing up queer, different, in the little town that I did in northern Idaho, I just always knew that I didn't belong. I never felt like these were my people," Jackson says. "It never felt like home to me. Once I started to find my people in community theater, I started to really feel okay in my skin. My biggest journey in life really is the journey of being comfortable in my skin and in my body. At 47 years old, it's still a daily struggle for me."

Parenthood is tough as it is, but there is some extra pressure for same-sex couples who have lesser examples of societal standards. But none of them affected Jackson and his husband, Landau, since they're both doting parents. "It is the hardest job I've ever had," he says. "Jay and I are pushed to the limit because we are extremely hands-on and that's how we want it. We are there for every single bedtime, for every single meal, every high and every low. You're not raising kids, you're raising humans." Moreover, he also talked about how things can get hard sometimes saying, "We work really hard at [our relationship] and it doesn't come easily," Jackson says. "You have to be willing to have those conversations and sit in those uncomfortable moments. It's hard to feel vulnerable and you really have to put yourself out there."