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For many young people, sleepovers have long been cherished occasions to bond with close friends - sharing late-night chats, snacking on treats, and revealing deep dark secrets. It's within these intimate gatherings that unbreakable connections and lifelong friendships are often forged. When Mason Brian Barclay's new best friend, Houston Shelton, invited him to a sleepover at her house, he was eager to take part in this rite of passage. However, Houston's parents had instituted a strict no-opposite-sex rule, meaning only girls were allowed.

Undaunted by the gender-based restriction, Barclay decided to directly appeal to Houston's mother, making a thoughtful case for why she should allow him to participate. "Hey, Mrs. Shelton! This is Mason Brian Barclay, I am one of Houston's new best friends. If she had people over on Friday, would I, a very homosexual male, be able to take part in the sleepover?" he asked her in a text message. "I think the common meaning behind only allowing the same sex to share sleepovers is due to the typical interest in the opposite sex when in this case, I do not like the opposite sex."


"Thank you for your time and consideration, have a great night. Amen," he concluded his text, essentially yelling: "I just want to hang out with my best friend all night and I don't think traditional gender roles should stop me from doing so." While sending the text took all his courage, fortunately for him, Mrs. Shelton turned out to be a progressive sweetheart who knew exactly how to put her daughter's best friend at ease. "Hmm. Well, my husband is hot. Should I worry?" she responded in what might be the most amazing one-liners of all time.



Thrilled by her response, Barclay shared a screenshot of their conversation on Twitter. "That took guts, and this mom acknowledged it *fabulously*! I wish you a fun night with your friends! Stay away from Houston's dad, now," commented Twitter user Julie Martineau. Speaking to HuffPost UK, Barclay confirmed he did indeed get to attend the sleepover. "We had a great time, we ordered pizza and watched my favorite show The Simple Life - I'm a huge Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie fan," he said. "Meeting her mum for the first time since the post blew up was really cool and funny."


On the topic of sleepovers in the age of gender diversity, Kim Cavill, a sex educator and host of a kid-friendly podcast called Six Minute Sex Ed, recommends initiating conversations with open-ended questions about family expectations of behavior and values. "Parents can ask 'What kinds of privacy do you think you're entitled to when you have people sleepover?'" Cavill told Parents. "This is a good way to invite tweens and teens into conversations about rules, which increases the likelihood of their cooperation and decreases their defensiveness."


Hannah Parke, the Camp Director at YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga, agrees with Cavill. "Making guidelines or household policies universal helps avoid any feelings that these rules are attached to identity or orientation," she said. "It keeps them centered on safety and the reason why everyone is over for a sleepover: to build friendships and have fun."

This article originally appeared four years ago.

gay teen sleepover requestmom’s response to gay teen sleepovermason brian barclay sleepover storyhouston shelton best friend sleepoversleepover rules for gender diversityfamily

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