Fear of rejection or that her son would be judged was the first thing that crossed Doris Ríos’ mind when she revealed that she was gay, more than 15 years ago; she remembers it as if it were yesterday.
Today, she is a proud mother of her son, of his achievements, but above all she is a mother who respects his decisions.
Doris is the mother of four children, each of whom has given her a different joy and Apolo is no exception, as he is a talented dancer.
On this June 28, LGBTIQ+ Pride Day, the mother, who has joined the pride marches, as well as the demands of the community, asks to love her children and support them, a fact that she recognizes is not easy, so she recommends going to a specialist who can help them understand the entire process.
“I have a son who is gay, he is Apolo Rivera, he totally changed my life because I recognized that I had very little knowledge of the subject. I had to go to therapy, I had to go to a psychologist, to make me understand what I was going through. And when I received that knowledge, I realized that I was ignorant of the subject… I love him more than anyone and I respect all the genders that are manifesting themselves, because now I am an empath, the first feeling I had was fear of rejection. society…”, he shared.
And although her son would receive all the support from his family, what would happen to him on the streets, how he would face society, invaded her but at the same time, she was calm, because she knew that she has a son who knows defend himself but above all, for all the love he has seen from his friends and people around him. “So I’m calm in that regard,” she shared.
Apollo was 14 years old when he spoke to his mother about his preferences.
She had already read a text from her son in which he revealed his orientation, but she did not want to believe it, she thought she was wrong or that she had misunderstood what was in those lines.
“I realize through a writing that he has that he is gay, I didn’t want to believe, I’m making a mistake, I’m misunderstanding this reading… and he arrives and knows that I’ve already read that notebook and he tells me: ‘we have to speak’, and at the moment of speaking… from that moment I promised that I will be with my children in good times and bad… My fear as a mother was society, because I have seen over the years how they judge them, They punish them, relegate them, offend them, kill them. So all that… I didn’t want my son to experience that,” he stressed.
For Doris, veganism helped her face that revelation, because it is about respect, and that is what she has had for her son, in addition to a great deal of love.
“I have deep-rooted respect, so it was easy for me, just as I respect animal life, it was very easy for me to respect my son’s life. When I received that therapy I understood that I had to respect, that if he is making a mistake it is his decision, it is his life and he is responsible for that”, and she would only be with open arms to receive his falls and his failures. , as well as their successes.
More than 15 years after those moments, Doris can now raise the flag of Diversity with pride, love and above all with courage to demand everything that the community demands and has a right to.
“I think there is still a long way to go because we are still in our infancy. I still hear people who reject people, who offend or who are afraid to say they are gay. The word gay is something that is very demonized… I must be interested in the human part, the sensitive part that adds to my life or that I add to yours… yes, a lot of progress has been made but there is still more to be done,” said the proud mother.
#difficult #task #understanding #childs #preferences
2024-06-28 21:59:04