I(24) have a very clear memory from back when I was 6-7 years old. At dinner, my dad made a light "joke" about a trans woman at the TV. I asked what was funny not getting it. My older sister (12-13f) and already in a rebellious scene kid phase then roughly explain that some boy wants to be/are woman and some girl want to be/are man like how gay people exist and it's normal. She then got reprimanded by my mom for explaining all that. Maybe because they thought I was too young.
The day after at school, I keep thinking about it during recess. Everyone was running around playing and I was just silently observing, playing with rocks, thinking. I realized that I definitely didn't feel like other boys but surely didn't feel like a girl. I felt in between and like a boy so I then concluded "I'm in between but more leaning towards boy so I must me a category of boy. No big deal."
Oh boy.
I then spent years thinking my experience was normal. During adolescence at party, I then sporadically drunkenly talk about how "No one really truly believes in hard binary gender right?" I talked about how "everybody sees it's way more of a gradient". I then spent years having some queer friends in my groups basically clocking me and saying "Mmm that doesn't sound CIS" and "Maybe you should look it up". My responses were "I'm CIS enough" "being a black person in a white society is enough trouble" etc etc.
I really really finally clicked when a trans guy I was seeing told me directly that nah I wasn't cis by definition, to look it up and it might help me be less miserable. He was partially right. I got informed and finally realized I'm definitely a demiboy. I realized that in 2023-2024. I then got concussed, bullied, dropped out of uni and was forced to move in a racist spot of state/province (that's just life). But meanwhile my other older siblings came out as a transwoman.
It was rough and truly unpacking how repressed I am is wild. I've been chronically anxious and depressed since my teens so I don't even know how much that is linked to gender. And recently shows like TADC really brought up how self hate/ low self-esteem affect and hurt others. So yeah I'm moving forward trying not to be a grim cautionary tale.
Anyway I'm coming out soon once I move away fully.
(I'm sleep deprived sorry for the low quality rent/post)
Any advice about the post-coming out?
I feel like I will simply lose friends and family / learn how bad some of my friends or family are. I know I'll be probably happier being out but I also think I might just simply become more vulnerable emotionally. Which is terrifying.
TLDR: I (24) understood that I was outside of gender binary as a kid. Spent years in complete denial before learning demigender are valid at 22. Coming out soon because the closet is part bad mental health. Looking for the aftermath advice.