Gay Chicano couple share their heart-warming story after images go viral: ‘We were always taboo’
A gay Chicano couple have shared the tale of their 18-year relationship after images of them went viral, following a photographer capturing them together.
Images of Mexican-Americans Trino and Adam, who have a 20-year-old daughter together, went viral in June 2023 after a photographer stopped them in the street to take a series of photos.
“We met each other when we were in the closet,” Trino said, adding that people often think they are “friends” because they don’t necessarily fit the stereotype of what a gay couple looks like.
“We were always taboo because when you think of a gay man, this is not what you think.”
Adam added: “The way that Chicano, our culture, sees us is that, they just feel that this is an act, and I feel like when they meet us… we like the same things they do, but we just love a little differently.”
In a separate interview last year, Trino revealed that he is still “not fully accepted” by his family, adding: “How am I supposed to succeed in life when I’m not fully embraced?”
“Right now, what’s going on with people embracing us, people don’t even understand how it’s been so healing for me,” he added about pictures of the coupe going viral.
The photographer, Henry Jiménez Kerbox, encouraged them to hug and kiss in the photos, despite it being “a little uncomfortable” for them to be “out” in public.
Trino described the public’s response as beautiful, and hopes “one day we don’t have to hide” while Adam said the feedback was “so much love like I’ve never experienced in my life”.
