Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star announced her new son on Instagram.
On October 25, Alexis Bellino shared a lengthy post introducing her son Miles to the world.
“Hey world, this is Miles. My transgender son,” she wrote on Instagram. “He’s now a month shy of 15 yrs old, so he’s seen the questions and comments made about him on my IG. Miles now has a voice and has asked me to do this post. I had stopped posting for the past few months due to this transition in Miles’ life, but he’s now ready to ‘come out’ and to use this platform to stop any hate or questions.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Alexis Bellino Gushed About Her Son Miles After Transition: ‘I Cannot Imagine the Strength and Courage It Took for My Baby to Do This’
Bellino was married to Jim Bellino, the father of her three children, from 2005 to 2018. The couple’s marriage and strict religious beliefs were featured on the show, of which she appeared from seasons five through eight.
She spoke of why she and Miles felt the need to go public when they did.
“I refused to post this for him for a while, but now I know Miles truly wants this because he’s tired of the misgendering and confusion people have, so we are setting the record straight and hopefully bringing clarity,” she wrote. “I cannot imagine the strength and courage it took for my baby to do this, but I’m extremely proud of him and I want everyone to understand that love doesn’t change in these situations. It’s unconditional love. Miles came out as a transgender boy to me over 16 months ago. He hid it from everyone else for a while, but eventually he got to where we are right now. TO HIS FREEDOM!”
Bellino is the mother to three children, Miles (formerly Melania), James, and Mackenna. She spoke of the change in her son since coming out as transgender.
“My son has now flourished!! My son now smiles naturally for the first time in years!” she wrote. M”y son now loves the clothes he wears. My son can breathe knowing he can be his true self. My son lights up every single time a stranger calls him ‘he.’ My son runs with the boys. My son can actually FEEL. My son can live life now with his true self…. This is my same child with his kind heart that gave his only water bottle to his thirsty friend in kindergarten. This is my same child who gives every spare dollar on him to the homeless person on the street. I’m so proud of Miles for wanting to stop the hate, and for being brave enough to step forward at such a young age. He now has his entire life to live the way he should.”
Bellino also gave a warning to those who commented negatively about the announcement.
“FYI all hate on my social media will be immediately deleted and that user instantly blocked,” she wrote.”Let’s bring peace and happiness and unity from this. We are all human and we are ALL equal. I am 100% fully supportive of my son. I hope you will be too. I love you all. Thank you for supporting me and my family through all of our many transitions through the years. This world needs more love and kindness.”
Several current and former Bravolebs commented on the post supporting Bellino and Miles.
“Beautiful example of love!” former RHOC star Meghan King wrote. King recently came out as “somewhere on the gay spectrum.”
“This is beautiful. You are a good mama,” RHOD star Stephanie Hollman wrote.
Heather Dubrow, who has both a lesbian and a bi-sexual child also commented writing, “So brave and amazing – we love you both.” Heather’s husband Dr. Terry Dubrow also commented saying, “Brave and beautiful.”
Bellino replied to Heather’s comment writing, “Thanks so much. We have VERY brave and amazing children.”
Andy Cohen Praised Alexis Bellino for Support of Her Transgender Son: ‘It’s Nice to See so Much Love & Support & Acceptance’
On October 26, Andy Cohen dedicated a portion of his late-night talk show “Watch What Happens Live” to the announcement by naming Bellino as the “mazel of the day”, which typically is someone or something good that happened recently.
“It is time for my mazel of the day,” Cohen said on the show. “It goes to a proud mom from the OC. Alexis Bellino for her heartfelt message that she posted on Instagram introducing her 14-year-old son, Miles, who has come out as transgender. I encourage you to go read the entire post.”
He then reads a portion of her post, which we shared, in full, above.
“Mazrl to that,” Cohen said. “With all the hate swirling around our country these days it’s nice to see so much love and support and acceptance. We can only hope this helps other families and other kids feel like they can celebrate being themselves, just like Miles.”
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