I came out to my religious mom the other day. She actually surprised me with her response, when she actually took the time to listen to what I had to say. Most of the time it’s her creating a narrative in her head, and only really listening to that. But this time, realizing it was really serious to me, she listened. It felt like the first time ever.. I cried, she cried. Because it killed me that she didn’t know the real me. The version of me that doesn’t center my life around finding a husband, or even being with a man. I knew it would be foreign to her, being from the south & Texas. I even stated it as such. Nevertheless she still said, “What kind of mother would I be if I hated my child?” It was just what I needed to hear in that moment. For the first time ever, I felt seen and heard by my mother. Maybe she doesn’t want to fully believe it today. But in that moment, it’s all I could ever ask for. She still annoys the hell out of me with her politics, and her ignorance towards A LOT of things. But hell, I’ll think about my coming out story forever.