Cynthia Bailey’s daughter had a lot of anxiety before coming out as gender fluid. Noelle Robinson, 20, is The Real Housewives of Atlanta star’s daughter with actor and male model Leon.
The touching exchange aired on a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Bailey admits that when her daughter initiated the now-famous conversation with her, the 52-year-old mom didn’t even know what “fluid” meant. Noelle made the admission while she was on a break from college. Bailey asked her daughter if there were any cute boys at school, and she said yes, adding that there were some attractive girls, too. Not only was she shocked that Noelle had a fluid interest in genders, but she was also surprised to learn that her daughter was actively dating.
Bailey discussed her daughter’s decision to speak her truth. “She was having a lot of anxiety before the show aired, because she didn’t know how it was going to make her feel,” Bailey said in an exclusive with Hollywood Life. She then added:
Since coming out on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Noelle has posted her gratitude to fans on her Instagram page. To date, the post received more than 25,000 likes and hundreds of comments in support of the Howard University student. However, not every young person is lucky enough to experience this level of goodwill and understanding. According to The Trevor Project, lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are three times as likely to contemplate suicide as their heterosexual counterparts. They’re five times more likely to actually attempt suicide than straight youth. These numbers mean that there are a lot of teens and young adults lacking in the support system needed to feel accepted in this world.
“But I cannot tell you the love and support, it’s all I’ve been talking about all week, which was wise, because so many moms have been shouting out to me, so many kids that are fluid. They are a generation where they don’t want to be put in a box, they didn’t want to be labeled, and for me as a parent I’m just happy, and proud, that I’m the kind of parent that…I just want to be the kind of parent that she can feel comfortable even coming to, to talk to about sexuality. I came up in a time where I didn’t even feel comfortable talking to my mom about sex.”
Bailey should be commended for her open attitude about her daughter’s sexuality. There is a faith-based conservatism among some in the African-American community which has made it hard for those on the rainbow spectrum to feel comfortable admitting who they are without fear of judgment or discrimination. Sure, Bailey is a modern mother whose own life has taken her to catwalks and photo shoots all over the world. Most would have the expectation that she would embrace her daughter’s sexuality, no matter what. However, even an LGBTQ pioneer like Cher has admitted to struggling to understand her child’s sexual orientation. Bailey and her daughter clearly have a strong bond, brought about by solid communication. Kudos to both for living out loud and serving as an example of how parents should react when confronted with a dialogue about sex.
More: Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Eva Marcille Shows Off First Photos of Baby Son Maverick
Source: HollywoodLife, Noelle Robinson
