Q: My Jamaican father is homophobic. He thinks my cousin (his nephew) is gay because he usually brings a male friend with him when he visits Jamaica. He complains that my cousins friends are effeminate and therefore he is gay.  He wants me to ask him. If don’t ask, he has threatened to confront him about it when he visits from England next month. I don’t care if my cousin is gay, but my father seems obsessed with finding out. What should I do?

A: You have to take a stand for your cousin for the sake of your family. Your father sounds like a bully. Stand up to your father and tell him it is none of his business who your cousin sleeps with. I know confronting a Jamaican father is pretty tough, but it is what you have to do. It is the only way you can stop your father from being a bully and starting an unnecessary family dispute.