What to do when your ex comes out as gay | Dean Burnett

A recent Observer article looked at what it's like for children whose parents come out as gay. Having your parents come out is one thing, but what if your ex-partner comes out? What, if anything, is the appropriate response to this?

If you've been in a relationship that has ended, you're almost certain to have an "ex": someone you were romantically involved with but aren't any longer. Relationships with an ex-partner are among of the most complicated and delicate it's possible for your average human to maintain, and there are countless sitcom plots exploring this.

There are good reasons for this. An ex-partner often represents a significant part of someone's life being intimately linked with numerous experiences and important milestones (interpret that how you will). But they're also often a source of serious emotional upset and unpleasantness, depending on why they're an "ex". Some break ups are amicable, but many aren't at all. Hence, a lot of people dwell on an ex-partner, a process made considerably easier (and more worrying) with the advent of social media.