OK, I know this may sound bad but is family really good for you? And yes, even though I’m Latina I’m still asking this question. This goes out to our LGBT community. And more specifically I am asking to those in our community who have relatives that may “tolerate” and or accept them and their lives but that deep down they do not approve of our community. So for those of you who are lucky enough to have relatives that not only accept your LGBT life but they celebrate you and your life, you are the lucky ones. But there are some of us who have immediate family members who love us and accept us how we are but deep down they always wish we would change back to the original us as closeted LGBT members. And yes I’m talking about our relatives who love us but are afraid for us because if we “don’t repent before the end of days” we’ll be “doomed to eternal hell.” Eek! I know that’s a mouth full but I know there are many of you out there with a similar situation in your families.
So what are you supposed to do? Live happily in ignoranceville or do you retaliate against such thoughts. I mean you can argue about it ’till kingdom come but will the arguing ever end? Most likely not. We are all set in our beliefs and I believe it will take a miracle to change one or the other side of the argument. As for my experience my family loves me and “accepts” me but I know deep down most of them wish I would switch back from transgender to gay boy and if all the praying in their church pays off, going back to a “regular man”. Of course as we all know that would entail being born again. So my question is: is it good to be around that kind of thinking this holiday season? What does that do for our self-esteem? Does that keep us from really going out and being ourselves 100% rather than 95% of our lives? Think about it.
I love my family and they really do love me but my solution was to move away from them and surround myself with members of my created family of friends that are part of my LGBT community and our straight allies. Now this wasn’t easy. It took me years to weed out the bad friends and surround myself with the ones who are really the best friends that friends can be and can accept me and celebrate me 100%. So I hope all those of you who have such family members in your lives that you too also find a good group of amigos that will not replace your family but that will be there for you and your life you are living 100% of your time and not only accept it but celebrate it. Because life is too short to be living around family members who do not believe in the who you were born to be. So for some of us its party with our family this holiday season but go home to our family of friends who accept us, love us, and celebrate the real us. HAPPY HOLIDAYS GUYS!