I walk through the door and some of my adoptive younger siblings run to come and hug me. I come to visit my mother from time to time, but being down in San Diego and all it is a bit hard. Now, where are my manners, I haven't even introduced myself my name is Cole, I am a thirty-eight-year-old gay man who, at the age of eighteen found himself living in the streets until a woman with a heart of gold opens the doors of her home to me and all of my baggage.

She helps me find that love for myself I lost the day my mother threw me out of the house after finding out I kissed a boy, but that wasn't the ticking factor, what led her to those actions was the moment she asked me whether or not I liked it and well I didn't just like it, I felt my stomach twirl inside of my body as my skin rose and my heart rate grew faster. I mean, I didn't give her that exact description but when asked about what happened I just simply replied "I kissed a boy and I liked it"

From that moment on, it all went downhill. I went from living in Beverly Hills to dumpster diving in south Los Angeles. So why don't we all take a sit so I can tell you how my adoptive mother became one, and how our family started.

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Three weeks after Marritza brought me in, I gave her a share of my first paycheck, you see, I started working at an ice cream shop near downtown Hollywood. She refused to take it, being the wholehearted woman that she was and still is, but I needed to do it, for myself, I couldn't live under her roof and not help with the expenses, she had already done so much for me, now I needed to do the same, so I decided to help around.

Together, as the days turned to weeks, we continued growing. She would share so many of her journeys with me like she does with you now, that custom of sitting down altogether like the family that you are, it started with me, and a few weeks later, we did the same thing with Patricia.

I met Patricia one day early in the morning, before breaking down, I had to open the shop and as I walked I saw her at a curve, getting out of a car.

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"Wait Patricia was a prostitute?" Asks me, Angel, "no, she was a sex worker" I replied with a rather cold tone. At that moment Marritza walks in and Lilibeth asks her about it "mother, why didn't you ever mention Patricia was a hooker?"

I stand from the couch "HEY" I say with a strong deep voice "you have no idea what any of us had to face back in the late eighties early nineties, but what you are jot about to do is start questioning the life decisions we had to make to survive, so, you either listen to the story with an open mind and free of judgment, or I won't tell you anything else"

They all remain silent, Marritza looks at me "Cole, why don't you keep telling them about the time I got you ready for your first ballroom dance, that is one of my favorite parts after your arrival" I took a deep breath and look at them all "alright then, let's get to it"

As I go to continue, Sandro interrupts me "Cole, but you never finished Patricia's story, how she got to meet mother" I nod at him "you're right, but that is all I will tell you from Patricia's journey, the rest is for her to decide whether or not she wants to share it"

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I saw her that day, I passed her by without a word, I knew what she'd been doing, but who was I to judge, I was a disowned, son of rich parents, blonde hair, blue eye, a white teenager who's the only fault was liking men, so, I was not about to judge from my mountain of privilege.

After a week I ran into her once again, this time, I saw a different woman, she was beaten down, tired, with bags under her eyes, lips cracked from being exposed to extreme temperatures for too long. That day I knew I couldn't walk by her and do anything, so I did the same thing Marritza did with me, I approached her carefully "hi, I'm Cole" I said to her. She looked at me "what do you want?" She asked, in her voice, I could feel the emptiness, so I sat by her side.

"I know this might sound strange, we don't know each other, but if you need a place to stay, food or anything" I pulled a piece of paper out of my backpack and wrote on it "this is my address, it's not big, but I am sure my mother and I can make space for you" she took the paper from my hand and didn't say another word, so I left.

Later that night, I was sitting at home with my mother when a knock on the door takes our attention away from the tv "who is it?" Asked mother, but no one answered. At that moment I remembered I gave her our address "oh, I think I know who it is" Marritza gave a questioning look as I stood from the couch and ran to the door. As I opened it, she was walking away "wait, don't go" I said to her as I stepped out into the hallway.

Marritza came to join me at the door "who is this?" She asked me, I turned to her "this is the girl I mentioned the other day, the one I run into on my way to work" Marritza eyed her and joined me in the hall "what's your name?" She looked terrified, I don't to this day what her impression of Marritza was, or mine for that matter, but when I mentioned I had a mother, I don't think she ever thought of Marritza or anyone like her for that matter.

"I'm Patricia" she looked up and pulled her lower eyelid down "I don't even know why I'm here" Marritza walked up to her, you know, that seems to be her signature move, and she grabbed her hand "I don't know who you are, why Cole invited you, nor why you are here, but I do know what requiring help and wanting someone to take you in looks like, so why don't you come in with us" the three of us stepped back inside and I closed the door on my way in.

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"So, mother has always been so welcoming to everyone, no matter their background, their reasons, just, welcoming?" Lilibeth asks me "she has, and it's because of that, that we are here, alive and thriving. Sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you enough to give you chance" I replied. Dani looks at me and says "but how did you know mother would let her stay?" I look back at him "I didn't, but I believed she would show Patricia the same kindness she had shown me, and she did, to the point that a few months later, she announced at the first ballroom she took us that she wanted to do more for LGBTQ youth, hell, she was one of the first people to ever refer to our community like that.

"What do you mean," asks Angel "well, you see, the LGBTQ initialism started in the mid-1980s, and our mother was one of the first people to use the term as a way to be more welcoming and inclusive of all". "So, our mother is a history maker," says Sandro eagerly. "Now, why don't you hold yourselves a little longer, because I'm about to tell you the part of the story, where mother took us to our first ballroom dance"

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Two months later, October had finally arrived, it was just the three of us in our two-bedroom apartment, but we had found a way to exist together. So Marritza walked in that day with garment bags in hand and the broadest of smiles, Patricia and I looked at one another, in the weeks that we'd been living with her she never came home so happy, but the moment she opened her mouth we knew the why.

"Children come and see what I brought you" Marritza ran her hand down in complete silence, letting the sound of the zippers take over the apartment. When we saw the clothes, our jaws dropped, there were no words to describe the beauty we were seeing.

We got brought out of our focus on the clothes when LuiG walked through the door shooting "HELLO MARRITZA AND CHILDREN" I always loved when he would come in and refer to us as her children. It made me feel like I was part of a loving and accepting family. He sat on the couch and clapped his hands "go go go, what are you waiting for you need to get ready, tonight is your initiation and although the best entrances are those which are made late, you don't get that luxury"

He rushed us to the bathroom, and once we were done, we got in his car and drove to the secret location of this year's Ballroom. As we arrived, the lone outside the gate was massive, men, women, and people in general, all colors, all heights, wearing colorful dresses, I had never seen something so beautiful, it was like a movie, hell, a dream, movies back in the day weren't that woke.

We joined the multitude as we waiting to go in, and as we finally reached the entrance, the changing lights hit the disco ball that hangs from the ceiling sparkling the whole arena. Marritza's face was like the one of a child about to unwrap his Christmas toys, we all had that face, it was like we finally arrived home.

The music started playing and after a short, while they introduced us, everyone clapped at us as the woman up on the stage said "Welcome to Vogue, Marritza and company, what is the name of your house" we looked around, all eyes were on us, Marritza fixed herself, pride in her eyes and she replied "Marritza's Queendom" the crowd went silent as the speaker cleared her throat "and why Marritza's Queendom?"

Marritza took a step forward "because, I have more than just a house, I have a family, a family that welcomes all, because I am more than just a woman, I am a queen" the crowd went wild cheering her on "and they are more than just my children, they are legacy" the woman on the stage smiled big and the music resumed as we moved away from the center of the arena.

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As the night came to an end, we arrived back at the apartment, we were all ecstatic, our first ballroom dance was spectacular, to this day, I still remember the emotions I experienced that night, nothing has ever compared to it, but the one thing that came close to it, was LuiG's words after he dropped us off.

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We walked in, as we got to the couch, LuiG cleared his throat "Marritza, my love" he grabbed her hands, she looked at him worried "Luis, what is it?" He squeezed her hands "I talked to a doctor three days ago, she has an opening to take you in for your breast and gender reassignment surgery" We all stood there, in complete and utter shock...

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Hey Queendom, the eighth chapter of Welcome to Vogue comes out on Tuesday, July 6. I will be releasing two chapters per week once the book is back.

In the meantime remember to check up on yourself and those you love not just today or this month but always, but most importantly, remember to LOVE.

💜 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH 🤍