Cindy Brady On Her Gay TV Father

"I really can honestly say, 'My Dad was Gay.' I can also say that being gay killed him. Because it was so taboo, he could never make peace with himself. He never allowed himself to have a genuine love. He was forever taunted by his own disdain for the natural inclinations that he was BORN WITH. Bob was a family man. Had he been allowed to form a relationship with another man, he would have been the best husband ever and might still be alive. But Bob could not be at peace with this because the people surrounding him shoved their own judgement down his throat and, sadly, he bought into it. He thought he was wrong. He felt the shame that every hypocritical 'God is love' fundamentalist wanted him to feel.

"I am eternally grateful for having a golden rule placed before me as a child. I had a gay father! I knew he was gay when I was nine years old and had the wisdom of a child. I knew it was OK and none of my business. I knew with all certainty that this was a very good man. And so, any ideology that demonized such a good man would have to be evil itself. Robert Reed, unwittingly, showed me the true nature of religion. And this is why I steer clear of it to this day."- Actress Susan Olsen, writing about her Brady Bunch father, actor Robert Reed, who died of HIV-complicated colon cancer in 1992.  Check out Olsen's Facebook page above, which today is full of support for marriage equality and messages of love from fans of the show. (Tipped by JMG reader Jason)