Tejeda Family & Maria
Mom: Even when Maria was a baby—right after I had her—she never put any conditions on me. She was happy, smiling, willing to give me a hug, and very loving toward me. How could I ever make my love for my daughter conditional on anything?
When Maria told us she was bisexual, I wanted to make the world perfect for her. I wanted to shield her from things that I know she will face in life. But she’s strong. She’s independent. She knows where she wants to get in life. She is stronger than me! I let her live her life and love her and accept who she is, as her mom. Growing up, I had very strict parents and there were a lot of things I was not able to explore or face in life because of this. I’m not going to do that to my six angels—my kids
Jessica: As her siblings, we have always felt really close to Maria. It’s not as if we really expected her to be bisexual, but this is just Maria being Maria. We really feel like with her coming out as bisexual, she is being strong in who she is. She always wanted people to know that she is not like everybody else. Even at larger family events where she knows that the extended family might not be accepting, she just does and says what she wants. She is willing to fight for what she wants. She is willing to fight not against us as a family, but against those outside our family who do not accept her. Nobody should be judged by who they love.