I came out trans on Facebook this week

A few days ago I finally mustered the courage to come out to my extended family and old friends on Facebook about my gender identity. In comparison to the hurdle that telling my parents felt like, this was easy. I give my family’s support credit for making me feel ready to do this sooner.

One of the things I’ve repeatedly done when I come out to people, is immediately send them multiple pictures of me. It’s important, IMO, for a few reasons:

1. I want them to have something they can see and there isn’t mystery in the mind of what I might look like for any extended period of time.
2. I want them to see me happy, with friends, enjoying my life, smiling like never before. Pictures speak a thousand words.
3. I want it to be clear that this is a train in motion. People are welcome to get on or off. I’m not posting the news in search of their acceptance, so much as offering them a chance to stay relevant in my life.

So far messages have only been supportive and it’s been nice to reconnect with a few old friends to share a smile.

With that accomplishment behind me the only place remaining is my work sphere and this will be a challenging one, I expect. Like so many times before, however, I’ll feel it in my gut when the time is right and get the job done.