Talking about Being Queer Makes Mamí Uncomfortable

Emilio’s Dominican mother was supportive and encouraging when he came out to her, but when he decides to speak openly with a younger relative about being gay, tensions arise between them. And Laurin Mayeno, a consultant and coach specializing in gender inclusion and justice, speaks with Juleyka about why prioritizing our needs helps us engage more productively during triggering conversations, and offers advice on how to avoid projecting our discomfort onto others.

Featured Expert: 

Laurin Mayeno is an equity and justice consultant and children’s book author whose work is inspired by her experiences growing up mixed race (Japanese/Jewish) during the social movements of the 1960s and parenting a nonbinary queer child. She wrote "One of a Kind Like Me/Único como yo," a bilingual (Spanish/English) story about a little boy who wants to dress up as a princess. Laurin is also active in Somos Familia, an intergenerational organization she co-founded that supports families with LGBTQ+ children in the Latinx community. Her personal and professional experiences have given her a deep appreciation for the importance of responding to gender diversity, which is now a central focus of her work For over two decades, Laurin has provided coaching, consultation, and facilitation services to leaders, teams, and organizations. Prior to launching her consulting business in 1999, Laurin worked with a variety of public and non-profit organizations. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Ethnic Studies, and a Masters in Public Health, with a focus on community health education and multicultural health from UC Berkeley. She brings learnings from different perspectives to her work – including frameworks and approaches focusing on anti-racism, gender diversity/gender justice, pivoting from white supremacy culture, cultural humility, nonviolent communication, and coaching for transformation. Learn more about her work here.

Laurin recommends The Center for Nonviolent Communication as a great resource for speaking with families about gender and sexual orientation, as well as Somos Familia's bilingual guide.

If you loved this episode, listen to Coming Out to My Family and Talking to Their Parents About Being Nonbinary.

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