cardi b’s little sister shares how homophobia made coming out & self-acceptance difficult

It’s super fitting that Cardi B’s little sister, Hennessy Carolina, a rising evening gown designer, budding actress, and tentative MC, is just as outspoken as her big sis. Another Love & Hip-Hop alum, the 22-year-old recently shared with PAPER how homophobia inside their Caribbean home actually pushed her out of the closet when their family that wasn’t keen on accepting her as a lesbian. “[My mom] didn’t really accept it at first. It was really hard because growing up people always made it seem like you have to be with a man,” says Hennessey Carolina. “But God wouldn’t want people to not love each other. So why do I have to listen to what other people want? Like why would God be afraid that two people of the same gender love each other? Why do I have to be with a man because you feel like that’s what I’m supposed to do?

That’s not what my body wants. That’s not what my heart wants. That’s not my happiness. I taught my family and they actually became accepting because I sat them down. I spoke to them, and told them what it is and how life works.”

Amen, hallelujah! Hennessy’s bravery in the face of people who love her, but also misunderstood her, is such an inspiration for other gay and lesbian young people of color and her story and hopefully can be used to empower others.

“I didn’t even know until I saw it. That’s my point. Like when I was young, I didn’t know. Like when I used to look at girls and be like, She’s so pretty, but like let me look away. What the hell am I doing? I was trying to hold back my feelings but then when I grew up and realized like no this is what it is, like how am I going to stop myself from liking a girl? That’s not possible. How am I going to stop my feelings? I’m not a devil’s child, why would you think it’s a sin? It’s not a sin.”

#happynationalgirlfriendday

A post shared by @ hennessycarolina on Aug 1, 2017 at 5:07pm PDT