When I came out as bisexual I was 18 years old. My mom didn’t believe me. Nowadays she does and calls my bisexuality, “sexual urges”. My dad and my siblings accept me as a bisexual. Recently I figured out that I am gender fluid. Most days I feel like a guy. Other days I feel like a girl. My dad accepts me but he is still processing that I am gender fluid because I told him yesterday. I came out to my older brother and he accepts me. All I have to do is tell my sisters. (F/24/Bisexual/genderfluid)
Story #2558
When I came out I was 23, my mom and dad were shocked but they quickly supported me, I was bisexual and identified as genderfluid; now, I identify as bisexual, asexual, and non-binary. I hope everything goes well to my closeted friends. Be you, and don’t try to fit in the box! (Non-binary/25/Bisexual/asexual)
Story #2557
When I came out as non-binary, I had to come out twice. I’d known I wasn’t my assigned gender since I was eight years old, back in year three. I came out to my parents for the first time when I was 12. They told me it was “just a phase” and that I was “persuaded into this by the media”. I truly thought that they would be supportive since they already knew I was bi. My friends were supportive, but everyone only seems to use my preferred name and pronouns when texting, never at school or to my face. The second time I came out to my parents, I finally got through to them. I was allowed to style my hair how I wanted… but that was it. No name change, they don’t use my correct pronouns… but one day everyone will respect me for who I am, one day I will be who I want to be, look how I want to look. This is like a mantra I repeat to myself. “One day… I will be me.” (Non-binary/13/Bisexual)
Story #2555
When I came out I was 16 or 17 my parents were super religious and conservative, and I never felt like a girl. All my friends were a bit edgy about me being trans and being bisexual; that was because I went to a Christian school where there were only a few queers. The only one who supported me was my teacher, because she had two sons: one was trans, like me, and the other was pansexual. The teacher was very kind and she was like a second mom to me. I transitioned and received top surgery two and a half years ago and kept my female organs because I wanted to hold a child. (Transgender Male/FtM/24/Bisexual)
Story #2543
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)
Story #2542
When I came out, my dad was full of anger. (My mom passed away when I was 12.) He kept calling me a disgrace to our family and that I was a mistake. I was heartbroken because I thought being bisexual would be OK to my dad, which now I know it isn’t. My dad still doesn’t support me and always talks bad about me to his friends and our family members. After a few months, I couldn’t hold my anger anymore and I confronted my dad and told him that HE was a disgrace for being hateful and rude. Me and my dad got into a heated argument that night, so I packed my things and I went to my grandparents’ (they live in the next neighborhood) and stayed the night there. My grandparents are extremely supportive and caring, so they were enraged when they found out what my dad said about me. To this day, me and my dad still don’t get along and every time I think about what happened, I burst into tears. Nowadays, I try my best to ignore my father. It hurts but I don’t want to ruin our bond even further. (F/16/Bisexual)
Story #2531
When I came out to my boyfriend I was so nervous. I am biologically female, but I identify as He/They. He told me that he is supportive no matter what, and that he’ll love me just the same. I was so happy. He asked me what to call me, he’s told his family, and he’s been helping me out tremendously. If your partner truly loves you, they will accept you for who you are! If they don’t, then they’re not worth it. (Non-binary/male/16/Bisexual)
Story #2522
When I came out to my best friend, who is straight, via text I was unsure whether he would accept me or not. He was going through a rough time and I always tried to be there for him (as good friends should); during some of our conversations he assured me that if I ever had something that I would want to talk about I could just reach out. That night, we had been texting for a long time already. I wrote down all my thoughts on my notes app, took the chance, and decided to send it to him. I remember shaking as my phone vibrated but after reading his response I felt a strong sensation of relief: he accepted me. If you had asked me half a year earlier I never would have believed that I would have gotten the courage to tell him or anybody for that matter. I’m thankful for having a friend like him. (M/17/Bisexual)
Story #2514
When I came out to my (homophobic) parents I did it with a crossword puzzle. I left it for them before I went to school, so they would do it when I wasn’t around. Of course they waited until I was home to solve it. They told me they still love me. They said, ‘Everyone has challenges in this life, this is yours,’ and my mom was like, ‘Are you sure about this? I mean sometimes these things…’ We all know she was about to say, sometimes these things go away. (F/14/Bisexual)
Story #2508
When I came out, it was on my Snapchat story: I wrote “Happy Pride Month” and drew a pride flag. I got a lot of people in the following week asking if I was in the Community. One person even told me they were “glad I was experimenting”. It was the first time I encountered biphobia and it stung (I didn’t even realize how much it affected me until later that night). I call myself gay a lot, and so people are constantly saying “But aren’t you bi?” or “But that’s for guys. You’re lesbian.” It’s annoying, but unfortunately, something I just have to deal with in straight spaces, which is why I’ve joined my school’s GSA and a queer discord server. (F/14/Bisexual)