Straight man unfriended over gay brother’s wedding, ‘gains perspective’

In an inspiring video gone viral, a straight man is sharing how the rejection he faced over his gay brother's wedding helped him gain a new perspective on the isolation and judgement gay couples face every day.

Shortly after his little brother's wedding ceremony in May, David Stevens shared photos of the event on his Facebook page. What followed shocked him.

“Hey David, I am removing you from my friends list…sorry man, that latest post is way over the top!," a former coworker wrote to Stevens in a private Facebook message. "Homosexuals joining in “Holy” matrimony…I don’t think so??? The Holy Bible speaks out against homosexuality and speaks highly of Holy matrimony between a man and a woman. It’s nothing more than a slap in the face to those who choose God’s Word, for homosexuals to join in a Holy marriage. I’m only defriending you so I don’t have to look at your anti-God stuff anymore…nothing personal!”

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But Stevens, who describes himself as "straight as a yardstick," took it beyond personal — he took it as an insult to not just him and his family, but to gay couples as a whole, and introduced an entirely new perspective on what it means to be gay in current culture.

"What if this hadn’t been about my brother’s wedding, but about MY wedding? What if it hadn’t been from a distant friend, but from a beloved family member? Ouch," he writes.

In his moving blog post for evolequals and accompanying viral video, Stevens challenges straight people like himself to put themselves in others' shoes.

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"If you’re straight, I think that’s wonderful, and I’m truly happy for you. I wish you all the love and joy in the world. And I charge you, I charge you to imagine the above scenario played out with YOU as the target of rejection. Imagine the people closest to you telling you, essentially, 'You are fundamentally flawed and I want nothing to do with you.' Our LGBTQ brothers and sisters face this everyday. Please don’t forget that," he concludes.

Despite the upsetting Facebook message, Stevens says his little brother's wedding was one of the most joyous days of his life.

"It was a wonderful ceremony in which I was honoured to stand by my brother, supporting him in his vows. My eyes teared up like they always do at weddings. I had the joy of watching two people commit to a lifetime together. It filled my heart," Stevens writes.

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Since Stevens' blog was posted, it has received more than 1,500 comments from readers.

"Dude, I wish you were my brother," one blog reader comments. "Loving and supporting your brother is a big deal. Whether you realize it or not."