DO YOU know what hate sounds like? This reddit user does.

A sickening and heartbreaking letter from a father telling his gay son, James, their relationship is over has surfaced online.

His father begins with: "I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past."

He then requests his son cease communication, tells him he is not welcome home and makes it clear he would not be missed at his funeral.

"You’ve made your choice though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle," the letter reads.

Reddit user RegBarc, who claims to be 'James' and posted the hate letter, opened up on the site: “In August of 2007, I finally built up the courage to tell my father I was gay. The moment I said it, the phone got quiet and he got off the phone after a few 'okays'. I decided to give him time to process the news.

"About a week later, and not long before my birthday, I received the following letter.”

Reflecting on his life, James says he was everything a father could hope for in a son - an obedient kid and excellent student who didn't drink or touch drugs.

“Yet I am still seemingly deserving of this terrible act of hate and cowardice that one person can place on another. 5 years on and I am still doing fine, though this letter saunters into my mind every once in a while. When it does, I say without hesitation: F*ck you, Dad.”

User Kriegsdrachen writes: "I don't think 'Dad' is the appropriate term for this man. He sullies everything that name stands for. He should have signed it 'Goodbye, Bigot'".