I was raised in an impossibly conservative bubble. In fact, living on american military bases in foreign lands, it was literally impossible for the adult men and women around me to be openly gay because the only way to live there was to be in the military, (in which it was don’t ask, don’t tell), be the spouse of someone in the military, (which was only legal for straight couples at the time) or a dependent. If, hypothetically, an adult came out as gay, they were likely going to be sent home. Either because they got kicked out of the military or because they were divorcing their (likely, tbh) husband, and didn’t have a right to be there anymore.

Add to that the fact that my parents were heavily involved in church, and that my dad’s role in the military was working as a Chaplain’s Assistant at the same church, and the bubble was even smaller.

Suffice it to say, when my mom leaned that I had a friend who was gay at school, she freaked out. It makes sense, in hindsight. She was raised in small town america, and had never at any point known an openly gay person. But it was a shock at the time.

Sooooo... coming out as trans and bi is going to be tough.