Chris Appleton, hairstylist to notable celebrities, has opened up about his struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts while coming to terms with his sexuality. He expressed deep regret about how his coming out affected his two children. Appleton described feeling as though it would be better for his children to have no father than to have a gay father. He described the shame he felt surrounding his identity and how it conflicted with his responsibilities as a parent, ultimately leading to feelings of failure in protecting them.
At one point, he felt that it would have been better for them to have a dad that was dead than a dad that was gay.
I really loved her. I didn't want to be gay. I didn't want to be different.
My job as a dad was to protect my kids. I just didn't want them to ever have that shame put onto them.
I felt like I'd failed as a dad because my job was to protect them. But I was the one hurting them.
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