Coming Out as Non-Binary
So I came out last night officially. My grandfather gave me the acceptance and misunderstanding speech. While my mother gave me the bible and the misunderstanding speech. I emailed my counselor to get my name and pronouns changed with my teachers. He came and talked to me and said we can do that but when we get back from spring break (its the last day before break), we need to put together a "gender plan." Does anyone know what this is? Also, does anyone have advice/suggestions for how to explain this to my mother?
TIA,
Nova (They/Them/Theirs)
@NovaIsNB
Hey Nova! So, I think your counselor is referring to a Gender Support Plan (GSP) which is an official way to help your counselor in making sure this transition goes smoothly for you based on your boundaries/comfort/wishes — any accommodations that are available to you per your campus or that you would find helpful could be made known to you at this time.. and more. ᵕ̈ It’s all to show up as a solid support to you. Hope it all went well this past Monday! Check in with us if you’d like.
@zaatarHoney
I go back to school on this monday
@NovaIsNB
I hope you have a great first day back. The intentionb behind the gender support plan revolves around what your wishes are— if your family is or isn’t supportive, this is factored in as well. It can be teachers-only or whoever you’d like to include, if you feel your family may not be understanding or otherwise unsupportive. You get to decide who knows and who doesn’t, and what you need from the school.
@zaatarHoney man i wish i had the gender plan thing at my school. I told my teachers and a counseler brought me in his office and basically told me he had to call my parents and basically out me to my unsupportive family i said specifcally to my teachers i did not want to be outed to. He didn't end up actually doing it but i did get outed later, idk how my parents found out.
@hardworkingHuman4356
That was horrifyingly mishandled. You deserved a safe space to be heard out and supported, not made to feel exposed and pushed to be vulnerable in spaces that weren’t established as safe. Coming out takes time— so much reflection, processing and understanding. I’m sorry that happened to you.
@NovaIsNB
Wow! I'm so proud of you for taking this step. It is brave and inspiring. I know the journey will be long and not always easy, but in the long run you'll be happy you did it. Stay brave, and stay you!
Best,
Colby (they/them)
Beautiful name Nova ✨🫶🏼