On Season 4, Episode 9 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, several couples hit key milestones.
Some learned painful truths about a partner. Some sat down to see if they could work as a couple. Others held a wedding.
And one cast member revealed his inner truth to his future in-laws, putting everything on the line in the name of being forthright.
The stakes were high. Check out our recap below to see how things went:
Gabriel Paboga and Isabel Posada
Sitting down with Isabel’s parents, Gabe uses a translation app to come out to them as a transgender man. He explains who he is pretty simply, noting that he has been living as himself for a full decade. After coming out, an awkward silence makes him anxious. Gabe fears rejection, and wonders how Isabel’s parents will respond.
They respond with surprise and honesty
Clearly, they are taking time to process the news. Many people already have transgender friends and neighbors and classmates and coworkers, but this is clearly very new to Isabel’s folks. Her father admits that Gabe has left him with a loss for words.
However, Isabel’s mom does have something to say
She respects that Gabriel has opened up to them. She appreciates the honesty — and, clearly, understands that this was not easy.
They will want to spend time thinking about this
However, Isabel’s parents main takeaway is that they still like Gabe. Her dad says that they’re hoping that nothing changes, and affirms that Gabriel remains a welcome guest in their home.
It’s not perfect, but it’s earnest and heartwarming
What really takes Gabe aback is that he is so accustomed to seeing bigots veil their hatred in Christianity, that hearing someone cite his Christian beliefs to explain why he accepts him is very new.
Isabel is moved to tears
This went better than she had imagined. She tears up while speaking to the confessional camera about how important this is.
Later, Gabe is having trouble processing this good news
He has faced such heartbreaking rejection from transphobes that this level of acceptance feels almost surreal. Isabel assures him that her parents aren’t, like, pranking him by being nice.
Gabe takes Sara and Miguel to paint pottery
They’re not just there for ceramics, however. He tells them both how much he loves them and wants to take care of them … and marry their mom. In fact, his plate will be part of his proposal. But he wants their blessing to marry Isabel. After all, this is something that will impact them. But they both love Gabriel, and they both express excitement over his plans to propose.
He even shows them the actual ring
Almost in unison, Sara and Miguel praise the piece of proposal jewelry. In the mean time, Gabe tells them, he needs to practice so that he can propose smoothly in Spanish.