Dear Prudence,
My 17-year-old cousin recently came out to his parents after they walked in on him with his boyfriend. They had a long conversation and he asked them to keep his orientation secret for now. Unfortunately, my uncle couldn’t do this, and now almost the entire family knows. I haven’t told anyone, but I have talked with several family members about how sexuality is very personal and we should respect his privacy by letting him inform people in his own time. We have a big family event coming up soon. The majority of our family is not subtle or tactful and we have a lot of very conservative older relatives. If it were me, I would want to know that everyone knew before walking into the event so I could choose whether or not to attend. Should I tell my cousin that one of his parents let it slip? Or just let it go and hope for the best?
—Revealing a Not-So-Secret