Parents of the year host "gayceañera" to help gay teen feel loved & accepted after he comes out

There is perhaps nothing scarier than coming out to someone. When you're part of the LGBTQ+ community and it isn't glaringly obvious that you are, nobody realizes that you have to keep coming out to everyone in your life. It's not like ripping off a band-aid - you've got to keep ripping it off over and over again, with all the friends and family members in your life. When 15-year-old Aiden came out to his parents Heidi Irene and Terry Trammell earlier this year, they understood that. To make coming out easier on their son, they decided to throw him a huge quinceanera. Some parents are accepting, but Heidi and Terry wanted to make young Aiden feel immensely loved.

A quinceanera is a large birthday bash typically organized for when a girl turns 15 years old and is celebrated throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. However, due to migration, it's also become pretty popular among Latin American communities in the United States. After Aiden came out to his parents, they wanted to celebrate both his milestones together. Therefore, they decided to host a "gayceanera." Heidi explained the decision in an interview, stating, "When Aiden officially came out to me, I started looking up ideas on how to be a parent-support ally. 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."

The idea of a party really stuck. So, invites were sent out to join the family in celebrating their teen son's coming of age and coming out. On the big day, Aiden decided to wear a sharp and colorful rainbow suit. He and his guests packed a local restaurant in their neighborhood and had an absolute blast. There were twirling rainbow ribbons, rainbow tablecloths, and even a delicious rainbow cake. There were also fun party games, including an "Aiden trivia quiz," which put the guests' knowledge to the test. Regarding the part, Heidi said, "One of the first things I would hope everyone could take away, in the simplest form, was joy." And she definitely achieved her goal. She stated in a Facebook post after the party, "To see so many people fill a room with unconditional love and support gives me such hope for the future!"

It is quite rare to see parents be so supportive of their children when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. However, Heidi doesn't want to be the anomaly. She hopes her actions set a precedent for future generations. "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," the mother said. "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. When we support and we are supported, we can become allies for the younger generations, regardless of the past."