In my experience, religion has a huge part to play. My uber-Christian mother can talk for days about how much she loves me and how much she has sacrificed for me. Her idea of unconditional love is that of her God - every fuck up is forgivable.

To an actual human being, some fuck ups are just not forgivable.

The outside world sees her as a good person. She is a nurse, she donates to charity, she volunteers. Yet because her fictional God supposedly says so, I am a sinner doomed to hell. I have been consistently shamed and made to feel guilty for a) being gay, b) being an atheist, c) not having children.

When I came out, she insisted that my father molested me and made me hate men. When that was proven untrue, she insisted it was my stepfather that did it. When that was proven untrue, she insisted it must have been my grandfather. No molestation ever happened. But she managed to put a massive strain on every male relationship in my life for many years. She is now an alcoholic ‘because of my sins.’

Some people should not have children until/unless they deal with their own demons.

That cycle is sure as fuck not repeating itself.