Weekly Prompt #3: What helped you understand and accept your sexuality/gender identity
Hi everyone, I hope you are all well.
Last time we discussed, What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
In today's prompt, I want us to take a minute of reflection and share what was the journey of coming out looked like for you.
The prompt: What helped you understand and accept your sexuality/gender identity? What was that journey like for you?
I was lucky and raised by sapphic parents, so my moms were always supportive of my sexuality and I never really questioned being pansexual. It just… was a thing and, in my family, it was simply normal. So, back in the day things were pretty easy on that front. But back in the days of being comfortable in my sexuality, I thought I was cis.
Coming to terms with being not-a-woman, not-a-man, but some elusive third thing was pretty difficult. Is still pretty difficult, but I think what helped/helps the most was recognizing that it only is difficult to explain. To exist as myself in spaces not built for me in mind. When I’m alone or with my partners or my family, it’s not difficult at all. For me, that just solidified the fact that my gender is mine. Independent of what it’s societally supposed to be, what others wish it were. And that weird sense of owning one’s Self really helped me to find peace with who I am.
I don’t have a big reflection on the polyamory except to say that what really made me confident about it was something my nesting partner quoted while he was researching the concept. It’s kind of a household mantra now: we design a relationship that works for us. We don’t have to use the Disney princess template or the 2000s rom-com building blocks. He’s not Lindsay Lohan and I’m not Chris Pine, but it’s just our luck that we found each other because we both understand that it’s both stressful and unfair (in our opinion) to expect a single romantic partner to meet all our needs. We’ve been together something like seven years. Maybe eight, we’ve. Both forgotten the date, honestly. Been polyam and happy about it since about two years in.
@quirkkittenexplosion It is great that you have had supportive family and have found comfort in embracing your true self and identity. Recognizing that your gender doesn't need to fit societal expectations has brought you peace. How do you feel when you're able to be yourself without judgment?
Relaxed? Content? I have a gift basket of anxiety related disorders, and that’s one of the only times I don’t feel anxious. I also find I’m more creative? Not sure why, but hey— I’m not complaining!
@ASilentObserver I wish I could say I have come to terms with it all, but honestly I can't. I still question who I am and why I have so much anxiety and outright fear of my sexuality. That said, as much as I question it, being a woman is about the only thing in my life that ever really made sense to me.
@ASilentObserver Idk if I’m fully accepting it of myself just yet. I would say the thing has further and further helped me come to terms with how I see myself is playing video games. Namely, video games that allow me to pick my player’s gender. At a certain point, idk when even, I just started picking the female player model every chance I got. I would make excuses like "oh, I like their voice actor more" or "I like their character design more" or "I’m just roleplaying" but really the reason is that they’re the ones I identify more with.
@ASilentObserver
anime and memes
anime sparked my intrest when i noticed traps/femboys are..well a thing and after doing sevral deep doves i was intiakky hesitant and thought no way i like guys
but then
people like one topic , the click , jaemy and other youtubers gave me an insight into what its like being an lgbtq person and i learned lgbtq folk are well folk with their own dreams and ideas and hoes and lives
so i decided to join lgbtq friendly *** servers and talk to lgbt folk and see what happens
with memes , frendos and plas , and some anime fan art and lewds i slowly removed all the entrinched anti lgbtq rhetoric from inside me that was forced upon by being raised in a religious christian family in a very conservitave and poor community inside a third world country in the middle east
there was a lot of it
but with time and effort and more meme ids and interaction ..etc i got to it
for a while i was hesitant even online to call myself what i truly felt
it took going to lgbt subreddits , some of them gone by now , and interact openly with other legbtq folk that i slowly again grew to accept a simple fact
i was bisexual
yet because i remain where i am im still in the closet , so i almost went a full circle heh
@scorpionpolktanktree thank you for sharing scorpion. It seem like exploring your interests in anime and memes, as well as connecting with LGBTQ+ individuals online, played a big role in helping you understand and accept your sexuality and gender identity. Well, while you remaining in the closet due to your current circumstances, you made notable progress on this journey. We are all here for you
@ASilentObserver I like everyone. No matter who they are. I think everyone is beautiful. I didn't know and I don't know what my bisexuality is specifically. I just like people. Specifically foreigners. But I like Americans bcuz we're all foreigners
@indigoEyes2672 that is nice eyes. you have a lot of acceptance for others. How do you feel about yourself?
@ASilentObserver i like myself, i feel confident but sometimes i wish i could turn back time to when i was 21
@ASilentObserver
For me, there are people where I feel truly myself and can share my identity. There are others I feel I cannot. Especially in my current journey into a profession that is highly scrutinized by their peers, I really have to flip an on and off switch of who I am at times. I usually tell people that I don't discuss relationships, and that gets them to not ask any further. There are times where someone asks about my partner and we are in a more open community, so I gladly talk about her. In others, I lie and say I am single. It eats at me, but my partner is in a similar situation as well. I'm glad that we don't feel any animosity towards each other about it since we both have to do this odd balance based on where we live and work. The issue comes when I can't remember who I have said things to. Slowly, I am realizing that no matter what I do someone could dislike me or reject me. At the end of the day, that's not someone I want to be around anyways, so I have felt a bit more open and just shared that I have an LGBTQ+ relationship. This can be dangerous, so I am not going to gloss over that aspect especially for where I live. But at the end of the day, I was born who I am, and if you are religious and struggling with that aspect, then just know we each have our own paths to navigate. I choose to be with someone that loves and supports me more than anyone else I have ever met. For living in a religious area, I was always told to interpret texts for myself, and this has helped me with the stress of "right or wrong." For me, someone came into my life that helps me be a better person, and I don't think I deserve to be treated as a lesser person for who that individual happens to be. There are many identities that we navigate aside from just this one, and I find more difficulty in those others personally. If anyone reads this from a rural place like me and also struggles, just know you are not alone in this world.
@AshtheSloth28 It seems like you are grappling with balancing aspects of yourself across different areas of your life. You want to feel authentic while navigating various social situations and expectations. What kinds of emotions come up for you as you walk this tightrope?
@ASilentObserver when in the midst of grappling with my identity, there is anxiety and fear. There is also peace when I become more rooted in myself. It is a balance.
@ASilentObserver
I would say that not putting pressure on myself to conform to other people's ideals of gender helped me feel more found in my identity. I feel very centered in my identity as a two-spirit and nonbinary or trans person. To connect my identity to my spirit feels like I was trans in every lifetime, and that sentiment has helped me feel proud and certain about who I am.
@ASilentObserver for me I have not yet come to terms with my gender or sexuality. Being closet trans is hard and painful but I cannot come to terms with it. Still fighting and looking for answers. It's why I'm here. Lol
@Val8383 I am sorry to hear that being closeted is so hard and painful for you. What thoughts go through your mind when you think about coming out?
@ASilentObserver is this AI?
@ASilentObserver i am trans and masochistic but i always knew that. I kinda just accepted it while also being subliminally programmed that it was horribly wrong
I've started talking about it at 33
@indigoEyes2672 Thank you eyes. It is commendable that you open about your identity and aspects of yourself like being masochistic. Accepting these parts while working through challenges takes courage. We are all here with you to listen to and support you. you are not alone in this
@ASilentObserver
supportive understanding and accepting people
the fact that I can’t change