When I came out a few years ago, I knew that I was male, but out of fear I convinced myself that my feelings weren’t valid and that I was saying I was male just for the attention. This fear was reenforced when I came out to my mother (at the time identifying as non-binary for the previously mentioned reasons). I told her how I felt more comfortable dressing in a suit and tie and how being referred to as a girl caused me a lot of anxiety and depression because this was not who I knew myself to be. She told me that God gave her a girl and that God never told her to let me wear a suit and be like a boy. Since then, I’ve come out as a trans male and she’s slowly becoming a little more accepting, but I still feel nervous when talking to her about anything gender related because what she said to me all those years ago is still with me today. (M/17/Bisexual)