5 year old boy dresses up as Daphne for Hallowe'en, other moms have gender panice

Nerdy Apple Bottom's five year old son is a monster Scooby Doo fan and so he wanted to dress up as Velma Daphne for Hallowe'en. He made an awesome Velma, and none of his preschool chums teased or picked on him — but the other mothers went bananas and told his mom that she was going to make him gay by letting him dress up as a female cartoon character.

Two mothers went wide-eyed and made faces as if they smelled decomp. And I realize that my son is seeing the same thing I am. So I say, "Doesn't he look great?" And Mom A says in disgust, "Did he ask to be that?!" I say that he sure did as Halloween is the time of year that you can be whatever it is that you want to be. They continue with their nosy, probing questions as to how that was an option and didn't I try to talk him out of it. Mom B mostly just stood there in shock and dismay.

And then Mom C approaches. She had been in the main room, saw us walk in, and followed us down the hall to let me know her thoughts. And they were that I should never have 'allowed' this and thank God it wasn't next year when he was in Kindergarten since I would have had to put my foot down and 'forbidden' it. To which I calmly replied that I would do no such thing and couldn't imagine what she was talking about. She continued on and on about how mean children could be and how he would be ridiculed.

My response to that: The only people that seem to have a problem with it is their mothers.

My son is gay

(via Kottke)