Mannyy's Story . . .

If you are expecting this story to be about a vampire falling in love with a human or a boy with a magical wand, you will be seriously disappointed.  However, if you are anticipating a heartwarming story about a family with two teenagers coming out on the same day, you are in luck. 

Mannyy Aguirre is a fifteen-year old guy who is just beginning to knick himself while shaving and soon about to venture on a love adventure, but that tale is for another day.  He grew up playing with his share of Barbie dolls and playing dress up, but he also dipped his toes into the pool of sports.  Friends were always in abundance in his schooling.  The first person he came out to was his dear friend Kattie Wingate his freshmen year, he did this via text, how 21st century of him, right?  From that point on, it was a snowball effect.  Then the news reached his sister’s ears.

Sam Aguirre is his sister, a gal with wisdom beyond her seventeen years and one year away from leaving the nest.  Before any more is said, it shall be known that Sam came out to her brother some time before he came out to her.  She told him before his volleyball practice, Sam shed some tears, but Mannyy happily accepted her and gave her a hug.  While this confession was occurring, Mannyy wanted to scream that he was gay too, but was not ready quite yet.  When she found out about her brother, she met the idea with a little resilience because he was so young, but accepted it later that night, along with an apology for her initial reaction. 

These two events brought the brother and sister duo even closer together.  The peace did not last long though; Sam had a girlfriend, which was the catalyst for the events to come.  Their parents had no knowledge of Sam’s relationship to Karina, but their sneaky snake of a mother began to have her suspicions.  The mother would present such questions like “Are Karina and your sister more than friends?” to her son.   Mannyy would respond “No, why do you ask?”  “Just a feeling,” the unsatisfied mother said.  Then the night came where the mother finally put the pieces together.

The mother stormed into Mannyy’s room with Sam’s phone in her hand stating, “Your sister is going out with that girl Karina.  I just went through her phone and read some revealing texts.  That girl is going to be in trouble.”  (Trouble because Karina had slept over a few times at their house.)  Mannyy was petrified by his mother’s discovery and soon crawled into his closet to call Karina and fill her in.  Tick tock, tick tock, Mannyy waited till his mother fell asleep, to wake up her slumbering sister.  It was one a.m. when he finally alerted his sister, she began crying, afraid of what was going to happen next. 

The next morning was not filled with the song of birds or the smell of bacon and eggs, but with suspense and anxiety.  Sam was confronted by two shocked and disgruntled parents.  Arguments and tears were born from that conversation.  Before the beaten soul and scared soul left the house for school, the father said, “Mannyy you better not be gay too.”  Mannyy did not respond, but the word “surprise” danced in his head.

After school, Sam went home and Mannyy stupidly went to his friend’s house, forgetting not to leave his sister alone with their parents.  While at his friend’s house, a distraught Sam called him begging him to come home because the vulture like mother was ganging up on her.   Scared, Mannyy called his mother and had her come pick him up.  An upset mother picked him up and told him “If you are gay too, you better tell me now.”  Mannyy still said “No, I am not.”  When they reached home he found his sister crying, learning that his mother had said things along the lines of “You are never going to see that girl Karina.”  This sparked a fire in Mannyy, he went up to his mom and yelled “How dare you do this to Sam!  You kicked her out of the closet with razor sharp cleats, when it was suppose to be on her time!  And you know what?  You gave birth to two gay kids!”  It was one of Mannyy’s best performances.   After that statement, the momentum of the day’s events begins to slow down.

Sam and Mannyy were finally unchained from the secret that was hooked on to them like a tapeworm latched onto intestinal walls.  The parents used all the cliché phrases like “Maybe it is just a phase,” and challenged them with the word of Leviticus.  However, they soon realized they would lose their two children if they did not accept them.  They began educating themselves and took the family to family counseling, which helped significantly.  Their medieval minds were transformed into open and loving minds over the course of a few months.

If you did not catch on, this is my story.  Today I am a junior in high school and my sister is a freshman in college.  We are completely out to all of our family and friends and have the most amazing support from my parents, Sheila and Richard Aguirre; and my grandparents, Phillip and Louise Lopez.  I am the President of my schools Gay-Straight Alliance and regularly attend the One n Ten meetings every Tuesday and Thursday.  My parents continue to show their support by going to PFLAG meetings, handing out PFLAG pamphlets at their work’s Diversity Day, and taking us to San Francisco Gay Pride.  I am truly grateful for having such accepting and loving parents.  Adieu.

Meet Richard and Shelia, Mannyy's very proud parents . . .

Richard and Shelia are now support group facilitators for PFLAG Phoenix!