Stacey Monroe came out to her aunt as gay when she was 13, because she felt like her grandmother, who raised her, wouldn’t understand. 

She said her tía — which means “aunt” in Spanish — was immediately supportive and eventually helped facilitate conversations between Monroe and her grandmother to help the teen come out. Tía Mary told Monroe’s grandmother that the young woman knows who she is, “so it’s just a matter of letting them be,” Monroe recalled.

“It was really nice to have that support, because my mom respected her a lot,” Monroe, who lives in Dallas, told NBC News, referring to her tía and her grandmother, whom she calls “mom.” “My mom was able to slowly learn from her and get that knowledge and education from her and just have those uncomfortable conversations, because she was almost like that mediator.”

Mary continued to support Monroe after she came out as transgender a few years later, even when Monroe’s grandmother initially didn’t support her.