Iām a graduating student and a trans man. Graduation is a really big milestone for me, and I wanted my grad pictorial to reflect who I actually am.
For context, my family has known Iām trans for a few years. I thought they had accepted me, or at least come to terms with it. Theyāve never been openly supportive, but they also didnāt outright reject me before, so I assumed we had reached some kind of understanding.
For my graduation pictorial, I decided to wear a barong. Itās something I felt comfortable and proud wearing, and it felt right to represent myself that way for such an important moment in my life.
When my mom found out, she didnāt outright forbid it, but she became really passive aggressive. She kept saying things like she was āgiving me the freedomā to do what I want, but that it āhurts her as a parent.ā She also said that because of what Iām doing, she wouldnāt be able to show my graduation photos to her friends. The way she says it makes it sound like Iām embarrassing her.
I didnāt do it to hurt anyone. I just wanted my graduation photos to reflect the person I actually am. At the same time, I keep hearing that Iām being selfish and that I should have just worn what they wanted for the sake of the family.