Trans woman shares grandmother's moving reaction to coming out
Coming out as a member of the LGBTQ community can be difficult for a multitude of reasons with one of the biggest concerns being rejection. This can make the stakes to coming out to family members feel extremely high, especially if you're very close to them. The last thing people want to do is disappoint people they love, especially when that disappointment is inextricably tied to their existence as a person.
It's no wonder people don't always come out to everyone right away but sometimes others make the decision for us by sharing private information with people we weren't ready to share it with yet. That's exactly what happened to a woman that goes by Jenna Tea on social media. Jenna is a trans woman who had not revealed that information to her 89-year-old grandmother so when someone took it upon themselves to share the news, she decided to talk with her grandmother herself.
What transpired was an interaction so beautiful that it's causing some people on the internet to break out in tears.
Thankfully, Jenna thought to record the interaction to keep for her own memories. She explains to Upworthy, "Someone in my family actually told her that I was trans and this conversation we had was the first time we ever talked about it, she was saying such sweet things and I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to remember this moment forever so I took my phone out and just started recording, she has macular degeneration so she couldn’t see that I was recording and it made for one of the most authentic wholesome moments of my life."
The audio recording is playing in the background of the video Jenna uploaded to her social media account. Pictures and videos of Jenna as a child and ones with her grandmother pre-transition in drag flash on the screen as her grandma's sweet words play.
"You have to do what makes you happy. It's something we have to adjust to and sometimes it's hard for other people but they're not living your life, you are. It's kind of their problem to readjust so the best thing is to put it out there and deal with it and it is what it is," Jenna's grandmother can be heard saying.
Being supportive isn't new for the grandmother, Jenna shares with Upworthy, "she has always been extremely welcoming and accepting of me and everyone around her. I am also a drag queen and doing drag was the way I found my trans identity! She has been to a few of my shows and she absolutely loves them and so I knew that she wouldn’t have reacted in a bad way, however I wasn’t expecting HOW accepting she would be. Out of everybody in my family she has taken it the best and it truly amazes me. I am so lucky to have the support I do in my family and the world is lucky she is in it!"
Putting together the video was extremely emotional for Jenna, she shares in her caption that she sobbed the entire time, which translated to making strangers on the internet cry.
Courtesy of Jenna Tea
"I AM IN TEARS THIS MORNING SEEING THIS — THIS IS SO LOVELY," someone writes.
"I made it to 9am before I got emotional over someone on the internet," another person cries.
"This made me sob. I have a five year old child who has internal struggles that I saw in myself at a young age. I have a deep knowing and I love them so much. We have days where they ask me if we can pretend they’re a girl and we do!! I just wanna play with them and love them forever. I’m so happy you experienced this love in your life, everyone deserves it. You made my day, thank you," one mom shares.
The support Jenna is receiving in the comments is another heartwarming layer to her story. Grandmas can seem like magic when we're little kids but watching their love and support grow as you learn who you are can be priceless.