This Man Came Out to His Religious Latino Family on National Television Alison Singh Gee - TakePart
go to original July 16, 2016

Daniel C. - What If Your Parents Don't Like It? (pivot)

The homophobic slurs that plague sporting events create a hostile environment for gay fans. But when those slights come from family members, it can have a chilling effect.

Daniel, who does not want to share his last name, spent many weekend hours throughout his childhood listening to his brothers shout “faggot” in Spanish whenever a soccer player missed a goal. Those comments sent him a message: Being gay is unacceptable.  

“I knew they meant it in a negative way, that they saw someone who was gay as less than—less worthy,” Daniel tells TakePart.

As the youngest of eight children in a first-generation Mexican family, Daniel strove to be the perfect son and brother. That meant attending three-hour-long Catholic masses and spending afternoons watching soccer games without complaint. But staying silent prevented him from living honestly.

Daniel is gay. Fear of his family’s reaction left him closeted for nearly 30 years.

“I didn’t want to feel judged,” says Daniel, who details his experience on Pivot’s docuseries Secret Lives of Americans. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Read the rest at TakePart

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