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‘If I am true to myself, I cause Ma to lose a fundamental part of who she is as a Cambodian mother.’

Her whole life, Putsata Reang (Put, for short) was accustomed to exceeding her parents expectations. She excelled in her career, paid for her parents to go on trips together and maintained a tight connection to her siblings and community.

Yet a fundamental part of Put – her identity as bisexual – was enough to crack the foundations of their relationship. When Put’s mother did not attend her wedding to the woman of her dreams, she feared she would never close the distance between them.

Today, Put shares an update on her relationship with her Ma — and reveals what’s given her the strength to hold on all these years. Putsata tells a longer version of this story in her memoir, “Ma and Me.”

Today’s story

• “At Sea, and Seeking a Safe Harbor,” Putsata Reang

Putsata Reang is a writer and journalist and the author of a memoir, “Ma and Me.”

Hosted by: Anna Martin
Produced by: Julia Botero, Hans Buetow, Christina Djossa, Elyssa Dudley and Anna Martin
Edited by: Sara Sarasohn
Engineered by: Dan Powell
Theme Music by: Dan Powell
Original Music by: Dan Powell, Marion Lozano and Rowan Niemisto
Read by: Putsata Reang
Written by: Putsata Reang
Founder, Modern Love: Daniel Jones
Editor, Modern Love Projects: Miya Lee

Special thanks: Mahima Chablani, Nell Gallogly and Jeffrey Miranda.

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