Coming out to religious Hispanic parents. Advice?

[amalialamour]

Hi everyone! 

So recently I've been feeling ready to come out to my mom about my transition. However, there have been things steering me away from doing so, mainly the fact that my mom is an extremely religious Catholic woman. Some background info: she was born and raised in the Dominican Republic so she wouldn't exactly know how to approach the issue because she hasn't had to deal with it other than seeing trans people in the Spanish language media here in the United States (which often portrays us negatively). I've brought up LGBT issues before and she doesn't really like talking about it. In fact, she tends to dismiss the topic very quickly and often uses religion to back her points up. There's also the issue of machismo in Latin America/Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries and she strongly believes in strict gender roles. She does know I'm very pro-LGBT and I do act like myself around her, but I'm apprehensive about how she will react to my transition. I don't doubt her love for me, but it's still pretty scary. What are your thoughts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Amalia 

[Penny Gurl]

You know I'm in the same boat on this, mine are Puerto Rican and in so many ways very traditional.  I haven't told either parent yet, but recently I've just been talking to my mom more in general to try and figure out how she feels about similar things.. not that there are many but still i try.

[amalialamour]

Thanks for your reply. It's tough but I'm assuming the best step to take is to keep communication open with both of my parents. Just wish their viewpoints weren't so limited.

Amalia

[Penny Gurl]

Ok, I don't know if this helps at all but I just came out to my very religious friend, now I know when I approach my parents things will vary greatly but I imagine that some of the topics covered would still be the same.  Now, he didn't go though and quote scripture... much.. but basically I told him that nowhere in the bible does it say "thou shall not be pretty.." and he did agree and we came to the understanding that god doesn't make mistakes when he creates and, as we all are creations of god we are made as "he" intended.  I do still have to face my parents and I'm not sure when, but at least I know that there's one person out there that won't use religion to beat me up.

[amalialamour]

That's awesome, Penny Gurl. I'm glad your friend could accept you despite his religious background. I know with my parents, I'll try to approach it in a similar fashion. Hoping for the best when it comes time to tell our parents.