Father's Day: Henk Henderson opens up about being a gay dad
Entrepreneur Henk Henderson joined the Scenic Drive to talk about being a gay father ahead of Father's Day.
Father's Day is a celebration of all fathers, and since June is also Pride Month, the Scenic Drive thought it would be great to talk to a gay father who is winning at parenting.
In 2016, Henk Henderson came out as being gay, and opened up to his two boys Henro and Jeanru about his sexuality.
In 2017, Henderson's oldest son 'cornered' him and asked him about his sexuality.
"Llewellyn (Henk's boyfriend) was my friend for about five months, and my oldest son (Henro) started noticing that we have a close bond. Henro cornered me and asked me directly if I'm gay."
"When I answered him, he started crying, gave me a hug and said he's so happy."
Henderson expressed his sexuality to his two boys, and from that moment they accepted him.
In 2018, Henderson officially started dating Llewellyn Steenkamp.
After Henderson told his boys about Steenkamp, they once again accepted it and they absolutely love him.
“My boys and Llewellyn’s relationship is amazing! Llewellyn is their go-to-guy.”
"We haven't experienced any hate. I am a normal guy, and people will always compliment mine and Llewellyn's relationship."
Henderson also mentioned that his two boys haven't been severely bullied.
"There have been slight incidents. When there are school events, all three of us attend (Henk, his ex-wife and Llewellyn), and they prefer it that way. We have a beautiful relationship."
"If kids see it's normal with their parents, it's automatically normal for them."
"My message for gay fathers is that there will be people who will judge you, but the majority will support you. I also think fathers should start listening to their kids."
Tune in to the 'Scenic Drive with Rian', weekdays from 16:00-19:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
Images courtesy of Instagram/ Henk Henderson