What is it about family events that attract drama? If Reddit's 'Am I the A**hole' forum is anything to go by, then family meals, in particular, seem to bring out the worst in people.
From the mother-in-law who told off a hearing-impaired little girl for using sign language during dinner, to the 22-year-old woman whose aunt tried to force her to sit at the kids' table, the subreddit is a hub for those frustrated with their families.
Still, it took one very patient man "14 years" to finally snap at his "bullying" sister, after she allegedly almost made his girlfriend cry at a restaurant.
In a post from Monday that has since received 10,000 upvotes and over 800 comments, user u/TAconcertgay asked "[Am I the A**hole?] for leaving after my sister kept calling me gay in front of my girlfriend and not paying?"
The 30-year-old man explained that his 34-year-old sister "Chloe" had been bullying him about his supposed sexuality since they were teenagers, calling him "gay" and demanding that he come out. However, u/TAconcertgay is straight and has been with his girlfriend "Linda" for four years.
u/TAconcertgay wrote: "This weekend I have invited my family and my girlfriend out for dinner which I was comfortable to cover.
"During the entirety of the dinner my sister Chloe (34f) wouldn't stop calling me gay. She has been persuaded that I am gay since I was 16 and would always say something about it.
"This time she was saying how I'm using my girlfriend as a cover and that I don't need to be hiding this as they are all family."
Despite asking his sister multiple times to stop questioning his sexuality and "disrespecting his relationship" with Linda, Chloe continued on, according to the Redditor.
u/TAconcertgay wrote: "Her saying all of this was making my girlfriend really uncomfortable and it felt like she was disrespecting her and our relationship, since I'm a straight man.
"My sister however wouldn't stop and got it too far by saying I'm in a secret relationship with one of my best friends, which nearly made my girlfriend to cry."
In response to the sister's goading, u/TAconcertgay and his girlfriend paid for their own meals and left the restaurant. However, as the poster had originally intended to pay for his family's meals prior to Chloe's alleged verbal abuse, this meant his family now had to cover the cost themselves.
u/TAconcertgay concluded his post with: "After we left they would bombard me with messages and calls saying I'm an a**hole who can't take a joke and for leaving them to pay for the dinner, when I have invited them out.
"[Am I the A**hole?]"
According to a study of 1,340 people conducted by sociologist Karl Pillemer, 27 percent of Americans are estranged from a close family member, with 8 percent having a strained relationship with their sibling. His research discovered the reasons for familial estrangement are wide-ranging and include everything from dysfunctional childhoods, to fights over inheritance to unmet expectations. However, marrying the "wrong" person was a common theme, whether that person is of a different race, religion or background to their spouse's family.
Reddit users seemed to unanimously agree that u/TAconcertgay was in the right.
Yanivelkneival said: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
"Your sister is a bully, that's not a joke."
Beeeeeebee wrote: "It's one thing if she legitimately thought you were gay and privately took you aside to say something like we'd support you no matter what...
"BUT this level of obsession and apparent determination to publicly bully and humiliate you (and your poor girlfriend) about this is bizarre."
Others pointed out that u/TAconcertgay's parents were also in the wrong, as well as his sister, for not stepping in to stop the bullying.
Carr1e said: "I noticed not one mention about other family members speaking up while the sister was making a whole a*** out of herself.
"Their silence is her enablement."
Atreya1215 agreed, commenting: "Your sister has been calling you gay for FOURTEEN years and making your girlfriend feel miserable during your entire relationship.
"She won't stop, so it's time to go no contact with her and with each member of your family that call it "a joke"
Fergus74 advised that u/TAconcertgay not invite his family to the wedding, writing: "your relationship doesn't mean anything to them."
Newsweek has reached out u/TAconcertgay for comment.
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