For context, my sister approached me last night, saying she needed to talk. I agreed and asked her what was going on. She then told me that my younger brother had accused me of sexually assaulting him when we were younger. At first, I laughed, thinking it was some bizarre joke, but her expression turned serious. I was shocked and horrified. I immediately denied it, saying, “My god, no. I would never, and I could never, do something like that to anyone.”
I started to panic as countless thoughts ran through my mind. I called several close friends to talk it out and get some support. Their reactions were a mix of disbelief and outrage—“What the fuck?” and “There’s no way you could ever do something like that.” I even reached out to my therapist to process what was happening.
For additional context: I’m a gay man, and the person accusing me is my youngest brother. We’ve never been close, and I haven’t had any contact with him in almost two years. My brother has a history of drug addiction, is unemployed, and relies entirely on my parents for support. He also has a live-in girlfriend whom he snuck into my mom’s house one night, and she’s been staying there ever since.
A month ago, he visited my sister’s house with my brother-in-law and took some beer without asking. I made a comment to my mom about it, which apparently got back to him. This accusation feels like retaliation for that.
What hurts the most is that my dad came to me the next morning and directly asked if I had done this. I was devastated that the thought had even crossed his mind. I told him, “Absolutely not. I would never.” He said he believed me and would talk to my brother about it.
An hour later, while I was at the store, my mom called. She casually asked how I was doing. I responded sarcastically, “Just peachy for someone who’s been accused of sexual assault.” Her reply floored me. She said, “To keep the peace between you two, he’s asking that you sit down with him face-to-face and tell him you didn’t do it.”
I was livid. They wanted me to essentially “admit” to something just to appease him. Whatever I said in that meeting wouldn’t resolve anything—it would only validate his false narrative. Then I learned he had changed his story from “He did something to me” to “Well, he tried to do something, but I scared him away.” He even framed it as, “I just don’t want him to do this to anyone else.”
That was my breaking point. I told my parents that by even entertaining his accusations and asking me to meet with him, they showed they didn’t trust me. I told them I needed to cut ties because I no longer felt like a part of the family. Their response? “You’re overreacting. We just want to keep the peace.”
But this isn’t just some petty family drama—it’s a serious accusation with real consequences for my life and reputation.
So, AITA for deciding to cut them off?
