Awesome Dad Announced 100-Mile Charity Hike After His 11-Year-Old Son Came Out To Him

“To hear your child ask that a part of his identity not be known to elders that are there to educate, protect and support him is a gut punch."

From:  NewNowNext

 A father in Scotland is walking nearly 100 miles to raise money for a campaign battling homophobia in schools after his son told him he was afraid to come out of the closet.

Neil Dallimore is set to walk 96 miles along the West Highland Way in order to accept donations for Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), a group campaigning to have LGBT issues taught in all Scottish schools in the hopes of reducing self harm and suicide rates among LGBT youth.

Dallimore was inspired to participate in the walk after his 11-year-old son begged him not to tell anyone that he is gay because he feared his teachers would treat him differently.

“To hear your child ask that a part of his identity not be known to elders that are there to educate, protect and support him is a gut punch,” Dallimore said.

The caring father explained that another boy had apparently revealed he was gay last year and his son reported that the teachers treated him in a “negative way” afterwards.

“Too often I hear stories from my kids about how they’ve either been the target of or personally witnessed homophobic bullying and it’s a problem that few teachers have seemed to know how to handle,” Dallimore said. “It’s worrying and upsetting to see your child treated like an outsider by other children based on sexuality and it must change.”

Click here to donate to Dallimore’s campaign and help him in his fight for equality.