I’m 22, living with my parents but considering moving to be with my boyfriend. My parents don’t know about him. They technically know about me being gay, but they’ve been in denial since they found out about my sexuality 5 years ago. They are very very religious (Catholic) and are from a very conservative culture in Europe. I personally feel that there is no hope in trying to maintain a relationship with them. I just can’t see them changing their beliefs, even for me. My mother has even told me to my face that God is more important than me. However, people in my life are making me consider trying to make things work. To be honest, I’m not even sure what I want out of a relationship with my parents because I just don’t know what’s possible, but ideally, I’d like them to treat the fact that I’m gay like it’s normal/not bad and for them to respect my boyfriend. For people who have extremely religious/conservative parents, did it work? How? How long did it take (I’m aware that it will take a long time, maybe years, for them to even reconsider how they feel)? What tips do you have? When did you just quit trying because they were never going to change? If they didn’t change, what did you do? If they did change, what was that process like for you and them?

I’m just not sure how much effort I should put into this. Ideally, I’d like some kind of relationship with my parents, and if there was a chance, I’d try, but at the same time, I don’t want to waste the effort if it ultimately will lead to nothing, or should I still try even if it ultimately doesn’t work?

Any advice, personal experiences, things to consider would be appreciated. Thanks