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Though Ortiz and her family have started the conversation, it remains a work in progress.
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Shes hardly the only parent to find herself in this situation.
There are a lot of reasons bi parents choose to come out.
Her ownreligious upbringingdidnt include open conversations about sex and identity.
To be trans and bi is to be pretty visible, Nola P., 36, tells SELF.
Parents might think in the back of their heads, Well, what if my child was bisexual?
I would want them to feel like they could come out to me.
She paused, looked at me, and said, Cool, he tells SELF.
Of course, there are a few reasons coming out as bisexual to your kids can be complicated.
The audience members young child wasnt ready to hear about who her mommy liked to have sex with.
Its never too early, he says.
What were explaining to children is love, and who we love and have a special love for.
Then theres the fact that starting the conversation can feel complicated and intimidating.
Its also key to keep in mind that your kid might not react with enthusiasm or even interest.
In Jeromes case, he first discussed gender and sexuality with his son when the child was nine.
For many, this is bound to be an ongoing discussion, not a single conversation.
Silverberg recommends using pop culture as an entry point to additional conversations.
This can be especially useful for younger children.
He found it quite amusing that there are infinite possibilities of how to make up afamily.
In Ortizs own home, the conversations about identity started around the time her daughter turned six.
It was something, she tells me, that largely happened organically.
In the last year weve approached the subject that I was oncemarriedto a man, Ortiz says.
Its like, Oh, this is Mommys identity, versus her other mother who identifies as lesbian.
She will preface by saying, And I might be with a girl or a boy.
Which is, of course, what truly matters.
