Dear Prudence,
I’m a 19-year-old trans man. My mom and stepdad, who have been in my life since I was 7, have always been totally loving and supportive. My dad died tragically when I was 3, so I barely remember him. As much as I love my stepdad, this always makes me sad.
Recently, though, I’ve made contact with my dad’s sister, my aunt, and learned that my dad was extremely conservative. My mom never told me this. I’ve even found old posts online where he said deeply negative and hurtful things about gay and trans people. Now I’m having very conflicted feelings over the thought that my life would have been a lot harder if my dad had lived. How can I process this? How am I supposed to feel?
—Crazy Conflicted