When I came out as bisexual (biromantic asexual, to be specific) to my best friend in middle school, she immediately grimaced and then later left my house crying; she proceeded to block me on all social media and avoided me entirely. It hurt and made it hard for me to continue to explore my identity, but I have tried out and landed on other labels since then (trans, gray-asexual, and panromantic), and, fortunately, coming out to loved ones in the future has (mostly) gone far, far better. I now have a close group of friends that are all queer, a nonbinary partner that I love deeply and that deeply loves me, and a family that supports me completely even if they don’t always understand. It can get better; there are people out there that will love you for your whole self, so find them, or let them find you. Love and acceptance is possible, finding those like you is inevitable, and feeling truly cherished is beautiful. (M/21/Transgender/queer)