Son's father shamed him for playing the violin and now my son wants to quit.

My son is 10 and started playing the violin this year. This was completely his decision. I didn't push him towards it.My ex-husband and I have been divorced for 5 years and my son only gets to see his dad during summers or vacations. He is visiting his dad for 2 weeks now and then he'll go visit again towards the end of the summer.My son called yesterday and ended up telling me that he doesn't want to play the violin anymore. I was pretty shocked because he loves it and it really good. He ended up telling me that his dad told him it was a girly instrument and that people would think he was gay if he plays in middle school. He told him that he will get tortured if he continues to be "violin boy." My ex blamed me for forcing my son to behave feminine.I told my son that plenty of men play violin and it isn't considered to be a girly thing, but it was clear that he wasn't really listening.He'll be back home next week. Any ideas to encourage him to continue? I don't mind him quitting, but I am mad at the reason he wants to quit. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2rCnDEY