Kristian Cardenas, a makeup artist based in Lubbock, Texas, was having a preliminary conversation with a potential client for wedding makeup when the bride suddenly asked, “Are you gay?”
Cardenas posted screenshots of this text message conversation to Facebook, omitting the bride’s name out of respect for her privacy. The screenshots show that after she was contacted, Cardenas sent over her Facebook business page link and her price list. She answered the question about her sexuality by saying, “Yes m’am I am. I’m sorry but what does that have to do with your wedding or my services?” The bride responded that she doesn’t want a gay person doing her wedding.
Cardenas, who came out to her friends and family recently, was completely polite and ended the conversation with, “okay that’s totally fine, you have a nice day!”
“I wanted to post [this conversation] for my friends and family because about a month and a half ago, I came out to everyone on social media,” Cardenas tells Allure. “I was tired of hiding who I was. And when I had such a positive reaction to me sharing who I was I felt like everyone just needed a little taste of my reality.”
The bride didn’t let it end there, though. She followed up with, “I still have more questions. How can you be a latina woman and be gay? You do know being gay is a sin correct. I will pray for you my friend. I’m sorry that you’ve chosen a path that’s going to send you straight to hell. I think you do beautiful makeup but i just can’t have someone who’s gay being apart of my special day. The wedding is in a church and i don’t want you walking into my church.”
She then let Cardenas know that if she ever changes her mind about being gay, she should let her know so she can hire her.
The response Cardenas has received has been positive, with comments filled with compassion, love and support. After her screenshots went viral, the bride from the conversation even reached out to her again. “She apologized, but told me it was her wedding and her choice to choose who she wanted doing makeup and hair, and that her beliefs shouldn’t have hurt my feelings,” Cardenas tells Allure. “I understand where she’s coming from. I just wish she would have been a little nicer about it.”
