The Toll of Coming Out For Your Trans Child
By My Purple Umbrella
“Hey, long time no see! How’s your son?”
Throat closes, chest tightens, every sounds begins to amplify. Stammering often follows, as if the ability to speak is gone. The familiar barrage of the all same damn questions drown out everything. Momentary paralysis takes over.
“Do I lie and say fine?”
“Should I just come out with it?”
“God, what if they think trans is a mental disorder or say something really stupid?”
“What if they get hostile?”
“Where are the exists?”
“How long will this all take?”
“What time is it?”
“Why am I being a coward?”
Breathe!
All of this happens in seconds. It isn’t until afterwards an awareness of how stressful the interaction was is noticed. As the spike in cortisol and adrenaline subsides, the shaking eventually stops. The physiological reaction indicates the level of panic that took place. These repetitive moments of fight or fleeing are wearing. Every conversation is relived and picked Badass Teachers Association: