"I was in the shower when I suddenly saw my father standing in front of me, holding a knife."

A 53-year-old Italian man has now been jailed for attacking attack his son Paolo, 18, after a heated argument about the younger man's sexuality. Police arrested the man, who was charged with domestic violence and assault, reports Italy's La Repubblica newspaper.

"My father has never accepted me," Paolo says. "He couldn't tolerate the fact that I'm gay. I tried to convince him that I'm not sick, that it's not something dirty, but it wasn't any use. I realized I was gay a year ago, and I told my mother. She understood. She tried to help, to stay close to me, and to convince my father to get used to the idea, but the last year has been hell in our house. This is the way I am, though, and there's nothing I can do about it."

For Paolo's father, the news simply wasn't unacceptable. He followed his son when he left the house and spied on him; he didn't want him seeing his friends. "He thought I was a prostitute," the young man explains, "but I was just hanging out with my friends, with other people who are like me."

Paolo's mother, who had always defended her son, tried to salvage her husband's reputation as well. The man has been in jail since Saturday, accused of domestic violence and assault. "All (my husband) wanted was for him to get a job," she says. "Paolo's got all kinds of ideas in his head - he wants to be a model, he wants to live some kind of fancy lifestyle. We're not rich. We can't support him."

"I asked (my father) to help me find a job," Paolo responds, "but he refused. He said he was ashamed to introduce me around because I was gay."

A year's worth of tension exploded in violence last Saturday. Returning from a day at the beach, Paolo told his parents that he planned to go out again shortly. His father became furious. He didn't stop at striking his son; this time he stabbed him as well.

The attacker later told police: "I just couldn't take it anymore. The shame and the dishonor all this has caused is too much."

Paulo suffered stab wounds to his forearm and right hand and a facial injury. He was taken to the local Community Hospital, where he was expected to recover in eight days.

Translated from Italian by Wendell Ricketts @ Euro-Queer.