Gloria Estefan told daughter Emily to hide her sexuality from grandma: 'She dies, her blood's on your hands'
Gloria Estefan's daughter Emily Estefan has shared a painful phase of her life when she was asked by her mother not to reveal her sexuality to her grandmother. Speaking on Wednesday, October 14, episode of ‘Red Table Talk: The Estefans’, the youngster said her singer mother’s instruction “hurt” her. “I was like, 'Hey, I’m in love with this girl.' The first thing you said was, 'If you tell your grandma and she dies, her blood is on your hands,'” the 25-year-old told Gloria on the show. "I just wasn’t ready for that. So that’s where my hurt started. I’m never going to forget that."
But she also added that she later understood why the ‘Heaven's What I Feel’ singer told her to do so because she was “coming from a place of love and protection." "I was trying to protect both my ailing mother from any shock that would affect her health and Emily from anything that could harm their relationship," Gloria said, adding she regretted her decision of not letting her mother know about her daughter’s coming out. The 63-year-old’s mother died at the age of 88 in 2017.
During the chat show, Gloria also explained her experience after knowing about her daughter's sexuality. "We had no clue. You say, 'How could we not have known?' It's not like we didn't suspect at some moments,” she told her daughter, who added: “I remember being in my bedroom and telling you, 'Mama, are you gay?'" Do you want to carry the gay flag, because if you want I will get on that parade float and I will carry that flag?'"
According to reports, in 2017, Emily came out publicly as she posted a picture of her with her partner Gemeny Hernandez. The social media post also included a caption that read: “What does it feel like to have words like THIS written about you? I’ll let you know when I have an answer.. for now.. I’m just a glowing puddle. I love you. Each and every word you write elevates me. (about me or not) I can’t wait for the world (and you) to see what you’re capable of.”
More recently, she again shared a lovely picture of her with Hernandez on the occasion of National Coming Out Day. Emily also wrote a lengthy message with the post that stated, “Be you. Be kind. Be better. Be open, be careful if you feel unsafe, be LOVE. Anything else is icing ... Happy love day... because that should be every. Single. Day. I love you @holagemeny. Loving you is worth climbing the highest mountain to scream it from. You push me, you pull me in, we make magic. And nothing nor anybody could ever make me believe any ounce of that is anything else.”
While speaking with EW, Emily said, “That is one of my biggest unanswered questions that I will live the rest of my life with. Many of the people around me that love me have told me they knew. But in my heart, my grandmother and I were so close but I'm really not sure. But that's part of life too — you don't get every answer that you want. I'm also learning that regrets are a waste of time. But I'm still on that journey. A few years ago, I would've never imagined that we'd be talking about this. I'm still growing and learning."