"Warrior Mom"

A few days after her 16-year-old son, Ari, told her he's gay, Colette Beighley gave him a book, "Coming Out: An Act of Love."

He read it, then came downstairs to the kitchen, where his sister was hanging out with a friend. "Thanks, Mom," he told Beighley, then put the book face down on the counter, hiding the title. "I flipped the book over, title facing up," Beighley recalls. "I said, 'Ari, that's not how we're gonna live.'" Her life hasn't been the same since.

Read the Sunday, February 17, 2008, Grand Rapids Press article on the Beighley family. Photos from the online and hard copy of the article.

Above David is cooking, and Chloe (16 and incredible) and I are reading the recipe .

This photo was taken on the campus of GVSU at a panel following the film "Anyone and Everyone" -- stories about how families of varying faith traditions as well as ethnicities have handled their child's coming out.

My Ari at eleven months old (drooling all over me), right after we moved to Michigan from the San Francisco Bay Area.

And my handsome Ari now as a sophomore at St. Johns College in Annapolis, Maryland.

This article may be entitled "Warrior Mom" but there could easily be a story on each on of my amazing family members. We have a "Warrior Dad," "Warrior Brothers," "Warrior Sister," "Warrior Sister-in-law." Each is so brave! This story may be about me but consider it in this context: I couldn't have done any of this without the full support of this family.

I love you guys!