Yes, sorry, I meant to write xenophobe, not homophobe.
Haleivi: I would not call it a “shortcoming” to have grown up in a non-observant home. A “shortcoming” implies a flaw of some sort. To the contrary, I think baalei teshuvah and geirim are to be admired for their strength and d’veykus. They have nisyonos that FFBs cannot possibly imagine, and on the whole, they have a love and appreciation for frumkeit that most of us can only dream of. My father was a baal teshuvah. So is my husband. It is not, however, necessary for him to “keep in touch with someone in Kiruv and Chinuch”. He has his rav, just like everyone else. Kiruv rebbeim were very helpful when he was just discovering Judaism, but there is no reason for him to check in with them anymore.