"A right of passage for Latina girls has become one for transgender Latina women as well, though (in some cases) this rite occurs decades later than for their cisgender sisters. Quinceañeras, the traditional celebrations marking the coming of age of young Latin American women at 15, are gaining popularity with transgender women who missed out on the party as teenagers."
"Kassandra Rivas, 51, said celebrating her quinceañera in her native state of Coahuila (on Mexico's northern border with Texas) would have been completely alien in the culturally conservative area. Coming out with the ritual as a woman decades later was a moment years in the making, she said. "Something inside me held a longing to experience this moment as a girl, as a 15-year-old," Rivas said. "I imagined myself standing before the priest in church, wearing a dress like any other woman.""
Quinceañeras are increasingly celebrated by transgender Latina women who missed the ritual as teenagers. Groups of trans women in their 40s and 50s have held quinceañera ceremonies, including a Houston event sponsored by the Organizaci f3n Latina de Trans en Texas. The celebrants wore traditional layered gowns and high heels, embracing the ritual's symbols and pageantry. Many faced cultural and regional barriers in youth, particularly in conservative areas such as Coahuila, and came out as women decades later. Achieving a quinceañera later in life fulfilled long-held personal dreams and offered emotional closure, communal recognition, and LGBTQ+ community support.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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