So I'm starting my Masters program in August and since I'm going to the University of Michigan, I've decided to take full advantage of their offered gender services - which means therapy and beyond.
Since I'm really beginning my transition during my program, I feel like I should come out to my cohort (aka class) of 29 other students and get them using my chosen name and male pronouns. I don't really know any of them particularly well yet, so I'm debating between a mass email to the cohort mailing list, a post in our facebook group, or maybe individually facebooking everyone. The group seems overall progressive, which will hopefully make transitioning smooth - but we do have some ultra conservative students (we even have one working for The Heritage Foundation! yikes!). The students currently only know me as "birth name" and that's really only on paper, so hopefully the change will be easy to deal with.
Also, for those of you who have come out in a work or school setting before, do you recommend a particular order to coming out? I'm working in the LGBT Resource Center at U-M and have come out to my boss (who is also ftm) and the individuals I work with, I have yet to come out to my program coordinator and to my (currently unknown) advisor. I'm not worried about any negative repercussions from the faculty and staff for the program, really just from my classmates.
I'm pretty nervous and concerned about coming out, but know it's really a necessity if I want to begin transition. :/ Tips? Help? Anything?
