AITA for deciding to have no contact with my bfs family?

TW Abuse

I (30F) have been with my boyfriend (32M) for five years and have witnessed constant, draining family drama. He has six siblings with frequent no-contact cycles. Their father is absent due to NPD and the trauma he caused. I initially gave their mother more grace because of this, though I have issues with her as well.

The eldest sister cut off anyone who maintains contact with their mother. One sister has struggled with severe drug addiction and has threatened the family for money-restraining orders are still in place.

We lived with the brother I believed was the most stable, but after his girlfriend moved in, the relationship between the brothers rapidly deteriorated. When we all moved out, they went to family members and spread their version of events. The only sibling I enjoy having in my life is an estranged brother who lives across the country now.

This holiday season we spent it with the small left family that my bf still has a healthy relationship with (although not without some flaws). We shad to leave and come back multiple times just to dodge family that can’t be in the same room together.

The family that is left is openly MAGA and embrace extreme “red-pilled” beliefs…supporting harsh immigration policies, demonizing liberals, and spreading conspiracy theories. They refuse to have anyone around who supports LGBTQ+ people or isn’t Christian; my mom is gay, my brother is trans, and I could feel the tension every time it came up. On top of that, his mom regularly demonized people with medical degrees(me) and kept pushing me to pursue homeopathy instead. Conversations felt tense and hostile, and even small disagreements could cause them to explode so I bit my lip. What should have been a warm, peaceful holiday felt like hell, constantly bracing myself and hiding who I really am. By the end, I was drained, anxious, and painfully aware of how toxic these dynamics are.

I told my bf after we left that I can’t do this anymore. I really don’t want to pretend that everything is fine when they call for violence against people in my family that I love. The secrecy. The judgement. The pushing to embrace Christianity. The remarks that I’m “lost” because I want to pursue medicine. Being gifted things like horse dewormer and conspiracy technology devices I will not use(this year we got a sound box that cures 100 ailments through silent sound). There was a time I knew they held these beliefs, but they kept it to themselves so I could compartmentalize it. But this year it felt like they were campaigning to get us to join them in their beliefs.

My bf says that he understands, and was taken aback by how extreme they have become since he last seen them. He didn’t agree with their beliefs, but also doesn’t know what to do because this is all that he has left. He wants his children to have grandparents and cousins, and now has to think about what that future means. He did mention that this puts further pressure on him, as while he doesn’t agree with them politics “don’t matter much” to him and he can ignore it.

I know this sounds wild and made up, but I swear it isn’t. I thought my family was bad(it is in its own way) but this is straight chaos that I can’t sanely navigate.

I don’t think iata, but I likely will be in the eyes of my bfs family as my lack of presence will be seen as “further trying to split up the family.” I may be TA to my bf as the falling out with his brother was recent and very heart breaking for him. And while he was thankful he had some family he could still have a relationship with, I announced that I was done. I did however, tell him he could still have a relationship with them I just don’t want to visit or attend events.

AITA?

TLDR: bfs family is broken. The ones we remain in contact with have become deep reed conspiracy theorist. Due to a lack in respecting boundaries I’m ceasing my relationship with them. AITA for deciding to do so?

Posted Dec 29, 2025, 7:59 PM UTC

313
Loading comments…