'Teen Mom' star Kailyn Lowry supports son Isaac, 15, as he comes out as gay and reveals new name
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kailyn Lowry extended her unwavering support for her eldest son who publicly came out as gay on her podcast, ‘Barely Famous’.
The 15-year-old, formerly known as Isaac Elliott Rivera, has also chosen a new name — Elliott — for himself and explained the reason behind it on the podcast, as reported by toofab.
During the June 5 episode, he said at the 3:47 mark, “Happy Pride, everybody! I'm very nervous about this episode. I'm here today to show you who I am, not who you saw on TV for 12 years of my life.”
Kailyn Lowry's son says 'it’s harder to be yourself' as he opens up about his sexuality
The teenager continued, “It's very important to me because I feel like growing up on TV, it's hard to show who you really are when a camera is in front of you all the time. It's almost like you have a TV face. It's harder to be yourself and to be more comfortable.”
The ‘Teen Mom 2’ alum got emotional as she said, “I'm crying because this shows your strength, and I'm just really proud of you. It's a really brave thing to do.”
Her son then went on to mention that the revelation he’s making is “for me. Let me have my moment. I'm really sick of people coming up with their own stories and putting things in their own words and things coming out on other people's terms about me because my life isn't entertainment for other people.”
Regarding his name change, he shared, “I started going by Elliott because at some point I wasn’t happy with my first name because it just doesn’t feel like me," as per TODAY.com.
Kailyn Lowry supports son's decision to change his name
The mother-of-seven also spoke about her son’s new name as she noted, “Elliott started coming home and the paperwork all said 'Elliott' and comments about 'Elliott' and I was like, 'Wait a minute, are we going by Elliott now?'”
“I can appreciate the separation between who you were and who you are today. I think that that is cool for you to recognize. It’s cool for you to sort of decide what makes you comfortable,” Lowry added.
Elsewhere during the episode, Elliott even talked about the kind of support children need from their parents as they come out.
Kailyn Lowry's son says he's 'always been comfortable around' her
He explained, “There's not much you can say, just love them unconditionally and let them be who they are and maybe make a comfortable environment with them. I think it's important to make sure that you are aware of certain things, maybe have a conversation with them.”
The 15-year-old then told Lowry, 33, “I've always been comfortable around you, you've always made me feel comfortable around you.”
“I never felt like I couldn't tell you something ... and I've always been able to come to you about things,” Elliott added.
