15-year-old Michigan teenager Corey Nichols (pictured) knew he was in trouble when he heard his father say, “If any fag lived in this house, I would shoot them in the head with a shotgun.”

In an interview with the local radio program Out In Santa Cruz, Corey said he kept his sexual orientation hidden from his family, afraid of what his conservative parents might do if they knew he was gay.

Growing up, he claims his father used to beat him. He also told Corey that gay people weren’t just sinners, they were sin itself, and that they were killed when they reached a certain age.

One night, Corey got drunk and developed a fever. His parents, suspecting their son might be gay, ignored him. Days later, at 2 o’clock in the morning, he was delirious and suicidal. He went online to chat with his friend Aubrey.

“I am desperate. Things here are so bad, I want to slit my wrists. I am not kidding,” he wrote to her.

At that moment, Aubrey’s mother, Mindy, happened to see what was on her daughter’s computer screen. She immediately jumped into action.

“It was like I was possessed by someone else,” she told Out In Santa Cruz. “I knew I needed to act, and to do something, but everything I did was against my nature and not how I usually act as a person.”

Mindy and Aubrey went over to Corey’s house and picked him up. When they got back to their home, Mindy was horrified to see Corey was almost blue from pneumonia. For the next two weeks, she and her husband Dale nursed him back to health. During that time, Corey’s parents allegedly never inquired about their son.

After recovering, Corey returned home. He confessed to his mother that he was gay. She passed the news onto Corey’s father, who flew into a rage.

“He was yelling and screaming about how a fag was living in his home and he can’t believe the devil was in his presence,” Corey told Out In Santa Cruz. “I locked myself in my room when my brother came home. The first thing my father did was tell him about how his brother was nothing but a worthless fag.”

Corey claims when his parents and brother tried breaking down the bedroom door, he took refuge in the bathroom. After they had gone to sleep, he slipped out of the house, never to return again.

With nowhere else to turn, he returned to his friend Aubrey’s house. Her family once again took Corey in, this time permanently.

“Initially we set Corey’s bedroom up in our basement,” Dale explained. “We gathered what we could since he didn’t bring anything with him. His first bedroom in our home was made of walls with moving blankets tacked to the ceiling. There was a bed, a nightstand, an old dresser and a box fan. That kid was so freaking happy … Made me cry to see Corey with next to nothing and be happy about it.”

Weeks later, Mindy and Dale filed a petition to formally adopt Corey. On the day of the court hearing, Corey’s birth family didn’t show up to contest the adoption.

“I want the world to know that Corey is a beautiful human being,” Mindy told Out In Santa Cruz. “I want the world to see Corey’s pain and know it is not necessary. Sexuality is such a small part of who we are. First and foremost Corey is a loving, genuine, caring, intelligent human being. Who he is attracted to and who he marries is of little significance.”

Since going public with his story earlier this week, Corey’s birth family is claiming the whole thing is a lie. On Monday, Corey’s brother James posted the following message on his Facebook page:

For all you that read my brothers little pity story on here, it’s a joke and I’m honestly in shock someone has enough nerve to lie about shit like that. Yes some is true but the major key points are false. If anyone has a problem come to me my brother is a fake and a coward. He has the power to manipulate a person better then anyone I know.

Corey’s sister, Hailey, replied to the post by writing:

They knew exactly what they were doing. Funny how Corey’s “story” was published the day after gay marriage becomes legal in some parts of MI.

To which James responded:

Exactly fucking homos. You know why every homo is successful. Because they our selfish and all they care about is themselves.

Corey’s mother, Angie, then inserted her two cents:

I cant believe it myself, we never kicked corey out, he left. he was in no danger from his dad, he would never hurt corey, he just don’t believe in gays he don’t support it, he has his beliefs.

To which James replied:

Karma is a bitch and it’s coming his way.

“Standing up for what is right is not always easy, but it is always right,” Mindy told Out In Santa Cruz. “Our family fell in love with Corey for Corey… His sexuality did not change who he was. I also want the world to know that we are a family. I want people to understand that genetics are just science. Families are built from unconditional love.”

Dale added that he occasionally sees Corey’s birth father around town. “He knows how to put on a front,” he explained. “He smiles and acts like nothing is a big deal. He says, ‘thanks, appreciate what you are doing for my boy.”

Dale will nod his head and move along, then quietly whisper: “I have news for you. He is not your boy. He’s my son.”

Hear Corey and Mindy’s full interview with Out In Santa Cruz below.

h/t Evol=