As an American, I'm not in a position to affirm this in general, but I will say that my ex, an Australian from a rural community near Sydney, had to put up with really extreme prejudice from his family, particularly his mother.

I'll never forget the Trans-Pacific phone call shortly after the turn of the millennium when she informed him that she had diverted his educational trust, which she had been contributing to since before she gave birth to him.

She didn't want him to be able to fund any more of his education with it, because she disapproved of his "choice" to be gay.

Later, we got a letter from her specifying that she was donating the money to a charity on the condition that it be used to benefit the education of Australian children who are not gay, not aboriginal, and not of Asian descent.

My ex told me that while his mother's fuse are a little outside the ordinary, they are not altogether uncommon either.

Worth mentioning, perhaps.

Thank you for your enlightening though very sad story. I'm glad that I read it, even though it makes me feel very sad.