Share Your Story: A Safe Space to Connect and Empathize

I’m 19 going on 20 and I live with my..mostly indifferent family. I started reconsidering things when I was 14, shortly after I started puberty; one day when I looked in the mirror with no shirt or bra on, I started crying. I realized that despite when I was younger I wanted to be like my mom, grandmother, and sister, that isn’t what I wanted at that point. I looked up what I was feeling and found out about being transgender. At first, I wasn’t comfortable with the label, so I just said I was genderfluid. But after that, I found I had more days wanting to present as male than female which was little to no days. After I got more comfortable with accepting being trans, I came out to my family at 16, and was met with mixed responses. My mom and grandmother rejected it but soon they were indifferent; my brother has been indifferent; and my uncle, who’s gay, is also indifferent. It’s a bit weird to be honest. I came out at school to my oddly supportive classmates and teachers, and went through a dark period of toxic masculinity that lasted up to my senior year. I’m a lot better off, a little thanks to my hyper fixation, and I’m glad to be who I am.

I'm 18 and still live with my super religious and strict parents. They loosened up a little now that I'm 18 but still don't allow me to wear feminine things or let me start HRT. (I'm MTF) I live way down south in a small town so everyone here is pretty much a Trump supporter and super lgbtq phobic. I have a few supportive friends but no close ones. Diagnoses with depression and anxiety. I plan on moving out when I finish my senior year of high school so I can finally be myself

Hi, I was raised in a religiously strict, we-dont-talk-about-it home. Ive felt dysphoria since i was ten and my mom told me to wear a bra. Its just gotten "more fun" since then. I have chest dysphoria, and just last week learned about top surgery. Im so excited, yet freaked out by the recovery stories; im pretty sensitive and squeemish. Also money...lol :'D But the idea of being flat-chested....yesplz! I think itd feel so nice with what i like to wear and how i look and feel. I finally realized this week that im nonbinary (i guess i had a whole lot of misconceptions what that meant, before). Id love to change my name to Piney, but dont feel confident enough/i think thatd create more problems. I have a naturally low voice and want so badly to present more masculinely. I really like what guys get to wear...and i guess i finally realized i can too! I dont want to transition to male, though. I realized after watching a lot of transmasculine stories on youtube that my interest stops after top surgery and before T. Im not totally independent from my parents due to disability, but im actively working on it. Wish i could tell my fam, just to get it out there, how i am/feel. But i expect a massive disaster and i have to consider my mental health first. I also keep waffling from "im finding out who i am! Woohoo!" To "ahhh im a terrible person" (bings to mind images of Tangled). "Maybe im fine how ive always been," and then getting very sad... I also cant imagine using male or even gender neutral pronouns. I think she/her is fine, though i hate being called ma'am, a woman, a girl, or a lady. I dont really have any LGBTQ community yet... still battling a bit of guilt and unsurity... Thats where i am currently.