Life

These loving parents threw their gay son a “gayceaƱera” party

Rainbow cake
Photo: Shutterstock

The parents of a gay teenage boy recently threw a ā€œgayceaƱeraā€ on his 15th birthday to celebrate his coming out and make him feel more accepted among family and friends. The celebration included dancing gymnasts, rainbow-colored cakes, sequined unicorn stuffed animals and a photo booth.

The event ā€” which was held on January 5 at the Sunset Restaurant and Lounge, an Italian restaurant in the town of Glenn Burnie, Maryland ā€” was thrown by Heidi Irene and Terry Trammell in celebration of their teenage son Aiden.

Related:Ā An amazing gay couple just opened a group home for queer youth

The gayceaƱera was a queer twist on the QuinceaƱera, a celebration common in Spanish-speaking countries which marks a girlā€™s transition from childhood to young adulthood on her 15th birthday. While the ceremony varies from country to country, it often involves a young person wearing a beautiful dress, being presented at a public banquet, eating a special birthday cake, and then dancing with male friends and family members.

In similar form, Aiden made his appearance at the event wearing green-hair and a rainbow-colored suit. His teacher reportedly served as the eventā€™s disc jockey while gymnasts twirled rainbow-colored ribbons on the dance floor. The event featured rainbow-colored cakes and place-settings for guests, a photo-booth, and an ā€œAiden trivia quizā€ to test attendeesā€™ knowledge of the birthday boy.

Irene said she wanted the party to honor Aidenā€™s development into his authentic self and to help him come out to his community ā€œall at onceā€ so he wouldnā€™t be forced to repeatedly come out to individual friends and family over and over again.

She said that throughout the night, servers and patrons spoke to her about how they and their loved ones were rejected from their own families in the past. She added that she wanted Aidenā€™s young friends to know there are safe spaces in the world where they can be themselves.

Don't forget to share:

Good News is your section for queer joy! Subscribe to our newsletter to get the most positive and fun stories from the site delivered to your inbox every weekend. Send us your suggestions for uplifiting and inspiring stories.


Support vital LGBTQ+ journalism

Reader contributions help keep LGBTQ Nation free, so that queer people get the news they need, with stories that mainstream media often leaves out. Can you contribute today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

Did homophobia lead Aaron Hernandez to murder?

Previous article

Batwoman snubbed Rachel Maddow when she came out in the press

Next article