Family hold ‘gayceañera’ to celebrate teen’s sexuality and it’s the antidote we we need for this dark world
Aiden (C) and dozens of loved ones gathered at a Maryland, US, restaurant to celebrate his coming out with a gayceañera. (Heidi Irene)
As tensions escalate over Iran and Australia burns, a cozy Italian restaurant in Maryland, US, was decorated with rainbow cakes and balloons. A refuge from the outside world.
When Heidi Irene and Terry Trammell’s son, Aiden, came out as gay, they knew they had to do something to help him feel welcomed and loved.
So, the family decided to throw a ‘gayceañera’ on his 15th birthday on January 5.
Gay teen’s family throw ‘gayceanera’ and it’s majorly adorable.
“When Aiden officially came out to me, I started looking up ideas on how to be a parent-support ally,” Heidi explained to PinkNews.
“Needless to say, I didn’t find a lot of information or ideas.
“Some articles and blogs that I did read, however, talked about the theme of gay people having to come out over and over again, and that straight people never have to come out.
“I thought to myself, I suppose that’s why people have coming out parties, so they can do it all at once and not have to come out as often.”
(Heidi Irene)
Heidi realised that her son’s two milestones could be jointly embraced. Widely celebrated among the Latinx communities, the quinceañera marks an important milestone in a girl’s life.
Part birthday party, part rite of passage, the celebration typically marks a girl’s entrance into womanhood.
But for Aiden, the rainbow remix of the tradition marked his entrance into being his authentic self, a gay man.
‘One of the first things I would hope everyone could take away in the simplest forms was joy’, says mother.
Donned in a vibrant rainbow suit, Aiden’s family and friends packed the Sunset Restaurant and Lounge in the Glen Burnie neighbourhood.
As gymnasts danced around the carpeted floors, twirling rainbow ribbons, chefs in the back kitchen cracked more than 50 eggs and countless food-dye bottles to bake Pride flag-themed cakes.
Rainbow tablecloths and Pride-printed cocktail napkins adorned the rooms with multi-coloured cocktails and paper straws dotting the tables.
Aiden’s teacher was the disc jokey while a family friend ran a photo-booth and an “Aiden trivia quiz” was held.
“One of the first things I would hope everyone could take away, in the simplest form, was joy,” Heidi continued.
Gayceañera: ‘To see so many people fill a room with love gives me such hope for the future.’
(Heidi Irene)
On the night, she thanked loved ones for showing face to not only support Aiden, “but for the LGBT+ community that he is now a part.”
“It was supportive for all the young people who attended to know that there are safe places and spaces where they may least expect it where they can be themselves,” she explained.
“The amazing thing was the servers and patrons who came up to me and would tell me their stories of maybe how they had not been accepted at one point, or their brother suffered from less than supportive parents.
“Others just came up to give me a hug and thank me for being a good parent.
She continued: “When we support and we are supported, we can become allies for the younger generations, regardless of the past.”
A friend of the family described the evening on Facebook: “To see so many people fill a room with unconditional love and support gives me such hope for the future!”
