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Juan Ángel López__, better known as Jenni Rivera's youngest child Johnny, confirmed he's bisexual and in love with another boy. His decision to share his sexual orientation with the world speaks of his incredible bravery and self-confidence. It could also be a game changer for how the Latino community deals with homosexuality.
More from MamásLatinas: Meet Joaquín, the boy who calls Jenni Rivera's youngest son' my man'
Sitting next to his older sister Chiquis, Johnny explained that he has been in an on-off relationship with another boy named Joaquín for two years. In that time, he also dated girls, but five months ago, he decided to commit to his now boyfriend.
If his mom wasn't who she was and if his family weren't as famous and as prone to controversy as it has been, Johnny's coming out would not be news. Johnny, who is part of the reality show The Riveras, has been in the public eye practically since birth. But the relevance of Jenni Rivera to Latinos in the U.S. and the passion her fans feel about her memory and her kids make Johnny's revelations more important than you could imagine. Let me tell you why.
Although his mom had gay collaborators, she wasn't keen on homosexuality in her family.
Her older daughters Chiquis and Jacqie admitted to have been in lesbian relationships, and in both cases Jenni Rivera forced them to break up. In Jacqie's case she even threatened to take Jacqie's daughter away from her.
Johnny has addressed this saying that Jenni "never saw the loving side" of a gay relationship. He added that his mom's gay friends were promiscuous and suffered many broken hearts. "She didn't want that for us," he added addressing one of the biggest stereotypes of homosexual and lesbian relationships.
Johnny's coming out has put the topic out there.
No other story of coming out has generated such a reaction in the Latino community in the last few years. The last time the topic was on the table was in 2010, when Ricky Martin came out of the closet.
However, Ricky was different. Ricky was a grown man with an established career. Johnny is only 16 and many parents are dealing with this like they would do with their own kid.
Many of Jenni Rivera's fans see Johnny as another son.
After Johnnny was born in 2001, La Diva de la Banda's career was taking off. That year she released two albums: Déjate Amar and Se las Voy a Dar a Otro.
Rivera got her first Latin Grammy nomination for Se Las Voy a Dar a Otro, in the category of Best Banda Album. This was all before social media, but Jenni took her kids everywhere, so the fans feel like they know Johnny from day one.
Johnny's life hasn't been easy.
Both his parents passed away. Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash on December 9, 2012. His dad Juan López died in jail on July 15, 2009.
While some people blame his sexual preferences on a perceived lack of parenting, others find him an inspiration, particularly because of this. Johnny graduated from high school two years early and seems to be a well-adjusted young man.
So when he says, "I haven't been this happy in years," who can really blame him? He deserves to be happy after so much tragedy.
Latinos support LGBT rights and gay marriage.
But it's harder when it's a family member. So the fact that many see the Rivera kids as an extension of their own family can help advance the conversation and provide an example to many gay Latino kids that don't know how to talk to their parents about how they feel.
'The Riveras' seems ready to address the issue.
Johnny's video was posted on the NBC Universo official YouTube channel.
Johnny could also become the first openly gay regional Mexican music singer.
Both he and Chiquis have talked about the possibility of Johnny following in his mom and uncle's footsteps. His nickname would be "El Cinco." He just seems to be waiting for the right time, although already posted a video singing on his YouTube channel.
The world of Mexican music is macho oriented, tinted with some violence, and he could help change that.
After this, many can Latino gay teenagers will have a role model.
Johnny seems to be ready and willing to keep the communication channels open to everyone through social media.
The youngest of Jenni Rivera's kids is clear on the fact that he is still young and exploring himself and his relationships with the rest of the world. He didn't speak about gender, but about love, which is something everybody can identify with.
His boyfriend seems to be a sweetheart.
"Thankful for my baby," Joaquín wrote on Thanksgiving when posting this photo.
While the opinions of Latinos towards the LGBT community has been changing, there is a lot of work to do.
"A lot of gay and lesbian Latinas and Latinos are out in English," said Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity/USA. But they are still en el armario, in their Spanish language world. While The Riveras is in Spanglish, most of Jenni Rivera's fans are Spanish dominant. What a way to help this group of people tell their truth to their loved ones!
This is the whole video.
Regardless of her opinion about gays in her family, I have no doubt that Jenni Rivera would have been proud. This is courage.
