When I came out I was scared and felt no one would understand me, but when I finally did my best friend came out too! School came and I told everyone I went by Alex and they/he pronouns. I just recently came out to my stepparent and am very close to coming out to my mom. I have a boyfriend right now who is very supporting. I’m slowly cutting out toxic people and coming out to everyone else. (Demiboy/nonbinary/14/Pansexual)
Story #2185
When I came out I was 13. At first I only came out to my best friend. She’s bisexual and uses she/they pronouns so I knew I’d be okay. We both worked on the school newspaper and we were talking about news stories we wanted to write. I said that I want to write a story about gender identity but that my “closeted anxious brain says no.” She had a mini-freakout and asked if she/they pronouns were correct. I told her they/them and later that day I told her I was polysexual! (NB/13/Polysexual)
Story #2184
When I came out, it followed with my dad outing me to my mam and my sister. I was lucky that they were all accepting of my sexuality, but now, 3 years after, I’m still working through my feelings on being outed by someone I trusted. (NB/18/Queer)
Story #2176
When I came out, I was already out to most of my school friends as gay, but then I started to question my gender and figured out I was agender. The first few people I came out to were accepting, but they all made a huge deal out of it (it’s just me??? call me by my name and pronouns as you would do anyone else???), and eventually, rumours started floating around the school as they had when I had come out to these same people as gay. This made me quite anxious as I felt that everyone knew my deepest secret. Later when I came out to my class, people kept deadnaming and mispronouning me, saying, ‘Same thing’ or ‘You know what I meant’. Later by the people in my class I got bullied (still am being bullied) and called an ‘it.’ And finally, was outed to a bunch of my teachers: When they called the roll and said my deadname (though I appreciate people learning my real name, it was super annoying) people in my class yelled out (some quite mockingly :((() ‘Actually, it’s *real name.*’ And as I’m not currently out to my mum, this was quite distressing as some of the teachers are friends with and talk with my mum often. 🙁 (Agender/non-binary/13/Aromantic/pansexual/demisexual)
Story #2164
When I came out my aunt threatened to send me to a conversion camp. My mom acted as if she supported me but something was always off about her reaction; she ended up telling the whole family, which wasn’t her responsibility. My dad heard it from my mum and tried to get me drunk so I would tell him myself; either way he wasn’t supportive. When I came out to my friends they all walked away; I was alone again. But ended up meeting my now girlfriend who loves and supports me no matter who I am. Trust me; things will get better 💖 (Non-binary/14/Lesbian)
Story #2157
When I came out it was at a Christmas party with friends in August. As it happens at every house party with my friends and me, we ended up in the kitchen and got emotional and sentimental. One of my friends suddenly asked me if she could ask me one question and I agreed. The question was: Boys or girls? I said, “Girls,” and nobody was surprised and everything was fine. The only thing they wanted to know was if I was dating someone at the moment. (Non-binary/21/Lesbian)
Story #2155
When I came out it was the other day, and 𝐈 wasn’t even the one to do it. I was laying on the ground in drama class the other day when I heard my preferred name being used in answer to one of the teacher’s questions as to who was doing which role. When the teacher asked who they were, one of my friends replied with: “Oh, that’s *deadname*’s preferred name!” I was scared when I heard this as many kids in my school were transphobic until I heard my teacher ask me which pronouns I use ! She was really supportive, though I am still mad at my friend for outing me 🙁 (Non-binary/agender/12/Pan/demi)
Story #2138
When I came out to my sister I prepared a piece of paper with everything I wanted to tell to her about me and read it out loud. She was very accepting about both, that I‘m bisexual and that I‘m genderqueer. I gave her the chance to ask questions and named a few sources about both subjects. (NB/19/Bi)
Story #2116
When I came out it was because I was bi. I told my mom, my counselor, and my best friend, then some of my other friends. Next year though I started questioning my gender and I thought I was a demigirl, so I told people that. But calling myself demigirl didn’t feel right either, so I was floating in the area of “uh I have no idea what the heck I am” so I eventually settled on nonbinary. I’ve told my mom and I’m planning on coming out in the other areas of my life. (NB/Bi)
Story #2115
When I came out to my mum I was 13 and told her I had a girlfriend. Her reaction was nothing and just said “okay” and left. Two years later I’m single, non-binary, and a lesbian and my mum doesn’t like that I want to change my name and don’t want a gender. My auntie on the other hand is a fellow lesbian and she supports me. My father, well, I have no idea what he thinks. (Non-binary/14)