lying in the bed in a thin gown. His body white and weak. The same blue eyes, but hollow underneath.

Stephen looked at his father. The room felt tight with fear and embarrassment. Matt knew his son was waiting to hear his voice, listening for reassurance.

And Matt began to cry in front of his son. Frances held her hands over her mouth and cried, too.

"Son, it's OK," Matt said. "We are going to love you the way you are."

Stephen sobbed. He crawled out of bed and into Matt's lap and Matt held him like he did when he was just a boy. Stephen put his arms around his father's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Son, don't worry," Matt said softly. "Nothing between us is going to change."

***

Once homein Chattanooga, Matt kept the news about Stephen a secret from the church and opened his Bible. The sight of his son stirred questions.

Stephen had a partner named Rick, and he told his father he wasn't going to give up the relationship. Stephen told Matt he had been sexually abused by an authority figure on multiple occasions as a teen, but had never wanted his parents to know.

Stephen Nevels, right, is pictured alongside his partner Rick at Stephen's parents' home in this family photo. Matt Nevels and his wife Frances' son, Stephen, passed away in 1992 after contracting AIDS, a short time after he told his parents he was gay. The revelation of his sexual orientation tested Matt spiritually, who had been very active at Red Bank Baptist