A woman in Boston, Massachusetts, chose to begin Pride Month by coming out to her parents, whom she described as “homophobic.” After several days of silence, they reportedly decided to disown her, which included refusing to continue paying for her college education and withdrawing other forms of support. She also claimed they had taken $1,000 from her, though that issue was apparently later resolved.
Jackie, known on TikTok as rubbingdabean, shared her story online. A college student who frequently posts lifestyle content, Jackie has been documenting her experience of coming out to her parents since May. The clip above, which serves as a kind of conclusion to that journey, went viral, amassing 446,300 views, 94,000 likes, and more than 1,700 comments.
The Massachusetts woman explained that she was going to write her parents a letter telling them that she is gay. According to her, they “hate gay people,” so she was planning on vlogging their reactions, even though she was sure they wouldn’t take it well.
She ended up giving them the note on a Saturday. Four days later, they didn’t say anything to her, but she decided to give them “time to process.” Approximately, her parents didn’t address her coming out for almost two weeks. While waiting, she got pink eye twice and tonsillitis, and she blamed her parents for the stress.
Parents Disown Daughter
Eventually, they did reach out—but only to disown her. As a result, Jackie was left to cover her own expenses, including college tuition, rent, phone bills, car payments, and more. She later shared several of the texts she received from them in her video, including one stating that they would no longer pay for Tufts University, where she is currently enrolled. She also included a heavily redacted screenshot of a lengthy message.
“Blessing that they pay for it for me in the first place, but now that I’m gay, why should they pay that?” the Massachusetts woman asked, sarcastically. “Why would you even think?”
Then, she made a startling accusation, saying, “Also, they stole $1,000 from me,” leaving her with only $40. It is unclear why they allegedly did so, but she eventually got her money back. She, however, had to visit T-Mobile multiple times. According to her, her parents kept shutting her phone down.
Still, Jackie didn’t regret a thing, saying, “Yes, this is your sign to come out to your parents, because it is freeing, regardless of what they do to you afterwards.”
Internet Reactions
Some viewers were shocked by Jackie’s parents’ response. One said, “I don’t understand parents who do this!” Another one commented, “They’re acting like you committed a heinous crime.”
After learning Jackie’s story, others were inspired to follow in her footsteps. One person wrote, “I’m coming out to my homophobic dad soon. I’m so proud of you.” Others, however, responded with fear and uncertainty. One commenter shared, “My parents are homophobic too, and I’m bisexual. I don’t know how to tell them—they’ll kick me out.”
Fortunately, Jackie appears to have the financial resources and supportive relationships needed to navigate this challenging new situation she has been forced into.
