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Sex Talk Was Taboo in My Latinx Parents’ House
But it won’t be in mine
The first and only sex talk I ever had with my mom happened when I was 10. Driving by the high school in our predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood, she tilted her chin toward two teenage girls with crunchy brown hair and red lipstick. “Don’t ever let that happen to you,” she said.
At first, I didn’t know what she was talking about. Did she not like their style? Or the way they giggled as they walked? When I said nothing, she pointed to my crotch and said, “Don’t let anyone ever touch you down there.”
That’s when I noticed their bulging bellies. Though I’m not sure if I understood in that moment how being touched led to their unfortunate situation, my curiosity bloomed.
I discovered cable porn in seventh grade, and not long after, the internet. The naked bodies and my chat room buddies became my most trusted friends.
Probably noticing my confusion requiring more discussion, she changed the subject and I turned inward. Her statement, her tone, and those two pregnant girls became like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle I’d hunch over in tireless study for years.
