It Changed the Game of Life for Me. Drastically: Coming Out as as Transgender Teen

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Cole slid open the barn door to his bedroom covered with dozens of “Hello, my name is: COLE” sticky name tags all over it, closed it behind him, and plopped on the bed. He hoped snuggling with his cats could help him calm down from the interaction he had earlier with his aunt, Felicity, on Facebook Messenger. “Why can’t people understand how upsetting it is to deadname?”1 he wondered. Cole’s philosophy on coming out to people as a trans man was that for everyone, it would be an initial shock. He knew there might be an accidental name-calling of “Nichole” (Cole’s birth name) for a while, and that people would say “she” a bit as they (hopefully) transitioned to “he.” While Cole was OK with “they,” his preferred pronouns were “he/him/his.” He knew it would be harder for some people than for others, but he was just wanting a good faith effort from friends and family in hopes that eventually everyone would come around. So he felt really supported when Felicity posted on Facebook yesterday: I cannot understand why some people, including in my own family, do not understand that it is NOT ok to continue to call a trans person by their previous name when they ask you not to. Just stop!