Trans man was afraid to come out to his 90-year-old grandpa but his response completely caught him off guard

Jay Hulme, a transgender man, spent years hiding his gender identity until he decided to come out to his grandfather. While most people use their 'age' as a free pass for transphobia, Hulme's grandpa was different. Instead of conforming to societal norms, he accepted Hulme and proved that you're never too old to unlearn hate disguised as culture. The award-winning trans author shared his grandfather's wholesome response to his coming out through a post on X, which now stands deleted. Meanwhile, an individual, u/interviewglum9263, shared his story on Reddit in July 2025. 

When Hulme informed his grandpa about his real identity, he gifted him one of his suit jackets, complimented his beard, and continued calling him "sonny me lad." Hulme was beyond surprised watching his grandfather, 90, embracing him so easily, especially when he had spent years terrified of coming out to him. However, Hulme mustered courage and wrote him a letter that read, "I'm a man, Gramps." His grandpa was so proud that he showed the letter to his neighbors and called him, saying, "So how's my grandson?" Since then, the old man had never gotten his pronoun wrong. 

In the so-called modern world, ironically, we still have the LGBTQ+ community struggling to find acceptance. Unlike Hulme, not everyone is fortunate to have families who accept their children despite their sexual orientations or gender identity. In fact, according to Teen Vogue, citing a study, nearly 67% of LGBTQ+ people said that they’ve had family members make negative comments about the community, and 78% said those comments influenced their decision not to come out.

Reacting to the Reddit post, people, especially those who have had similar experiences with their grandparents, praised Hulme's grandpa for being an absolute sweetheart. u/diagnosedwolf commented, "My grandma was this devout Catholic lady who would periodically chase my grandpa about the house with a broom screaming, 'You have fifteen grandkids! Statistically, one of them will be gay, and you will love them!' And you know what? She was right. One of my cousins is gay, and my grandpa loved us all the same." Similarly, a user who goes by u/Izwe on the platform said, "Grandpa knew before Jay knew. When I came out, everyone was like, 'Yeah, and?' They all knew before I did."

Echoing the sentiments, u/keepingitclassy7707 wrote, "My older sister is a lesbian, and when she came out everyone was supportive (I come from a very accepting family, though), but my grandpa was probably the most supportive and came up with the idea to take us all to the Pride parade that year to show our support and love for her." Another user, u/forksandtoasters, said, "My mother told my granddad that I changed my name and why (gender), and his immediate response was to get upset that he'd put the wrong name on my Christmas card, then proceeded to post a second one with the correct name. He's 90 and still going strong." A person, u/new-firefighter7761, who was truly overwhelmed by the story, commented, "The way his granddad embraced him without hesitation is just beautiful. We need more of this energy in the world."

If you’re an LGBTQ young person in crisis, and need help, please reach out to The Trevor Project at 1‑866‑488‑7386 or text START to 678678. thetrevorproject.org