Before I started my transition, nearly seven years ago, I came out to my parents who were less than supportive, confused, afraid, angry. Since then, I have done hormone treatment, legally changed my name and relocated to Wyoming with a new life, and am completely accepted as a man. Now my parents have started to slowly accept this, but still refer to me as "Chris" the abbreviation of my birth name.
Since moving here, I have come out to my first AA sponsor at three months sober, who accepted me, though confused. I did it during a fifth step inventory writing my history and made him read it. He gave me a hug and thanked me for my trust and honesty.
More than a year later, almost two years later I told my second AA sponsor. It took a mumbling and struggling of 20 minutes to finally get it out. He asked some question so he would he better understand, and accepted me and gave me a hug. Since then, more than a year later, he does research, reads, and watches documentaries to further his understanding of people like me.
Three weeks ago, I told my best friend also my employer. I've known him nearly three years, and it had been wearing on me for a while the lies omission, and the false explanations of why I didn't date, or remove me shirt. This was my best experience thus far. I called and asked if I could talk to him about something. He said sure, what's up? I responded I wanted to do it in person. It would be far easier to do it over the phone, but I respected him to much to pull what I thought would be cowardly. He was very concerned but agreed. A few hours later, we sat outside on his deck, and got it out fairly quickly and clearly in five minutes.
His expression was unreadable, and he was very quiet, but nodded and talked for about ten minutes on his thought about it all, and admitted he never saw this coming, always knew there was something a little about me, but nothing that deemed me feminine. Though when I first showed up three years earlier I had a pear shape and now I do not at all. He asked a couple questions, then I helped him move a hot tub and do yard work. We drank come coffee, smoked a cigarette, and he shook my hand and thanked me for my honesty.
Looking at this all objectively, it is harder for me to come out having partially transitioned, and with the knowledge nobody suspects anything of me. Some people joke about my "gender preference" as I am not dating, but with my career and appearance attitude, I am widely accepted as male.
I have no regrets of trusting these three men who are in fact my role models, mentors, and family of choice. I love them, they love me, and it was rewarding.
