DEAR ABBY: My mother comes from a large family. While most of the time everyone is kind and fairly respectful, there have been several occasions when gossiping family members have said hurtful things.
Most recently, a comment was made about my 29-year-old brother. He is unmarried and isn't dating anyone. He works two jobs and also participates in fishing tournaments. Someone commented that he "must be gay" because he "has guys sleep over at his house" and "doesn't have a girlfriend."
For the record, my brother is straight. His fishing teammates sleep over because they leave at 3 a.m. for their tournaments.
This really annoyed my mom and me. It's no one's business how he chooses to live his life, straight or gay. While we try to distance ourselves from their comments, staying quiet about them is becoming more and more difficult. What can we say without sinking to their level? -- SEETHING IN OHIO
DEAR SEETHING: How about being direct: "My brother/son is not gay. Please stop spreading rumors about him that aren't true because it's really annoying."