I'm not a parent, but my sister is a lesbian and came out when she when she was around 17.

My father is a very religious man and was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. My grandparents were devoted to that religion and raised their children to have the same beliefs. They also attempted to influence myself and my sister's beliefs by taking us to meetings and having us read the bible at a very young age. While my father would have liked for us to have the same beliefs as him, he never pushed it on us. Nor did my mother, who is Catholic.

My sister was scared to tell my dad she was a lesbian, out of fear that he would not love her anymore. So, she told my mother first. My mom accepted her for who she was without any hesitation, but encourage my sister to come forward with my dad. When she finally did, my dad accepted her with open arms as well. Her ex-girlfriend (who she had been with for 3 years) was welcomed to our house and accepted as a part of the family. It was tough on all of us when they eventually broke up.

Years later, my sister came out as transgendered. Again, she told my mother first and said she was scared to tell my dad out of fear he wouldn't love her anymore. My mom was accepting of this, although it was a harder adjustment for her. And my mom was just as nervous to tell my dad about this. But when my sister did finally let him know, he just said 'I love you no matter' and hugged her.

My sister has not decided whether or not she wants to go through with her transition, and prefers to be called by 'her' pronouns (in case anyone tries to call me insensitive). I accept her as well, but it was a lot easier for me to do so because I grew up in a different generation.

To be honest, I don't know why she was ever scared to tell him. I suspect it's because of his religion, but my dad has been nothing but loving and kind to both of his daughters. He has never yelled at either one of us. He has never pushed his beliefs on us. He has always supported us and been there for us. He's truly one of the most decent, kind hearted and loving human beings I've ever met. An open-minded person with a heart of gold that one. He's definitely my role model and hero, and I'm proud to say that he's my father.