Youth View: Coming Out in Class

Hey Guys!

As some of you may remember, I am a first year college student. I am currently taking a Psych 101 class, and we were given a big assignment. We had to give a 10 to 20 minute presentation on anything personal relating to psychology. I could’ve talked about any of my experiences in the world of psych, but I wanted to pick something different. I wanted to educate the class on something they might not already be aware of. So what did I chose? I chose to come out to my entire class. I did my presentation on Gender Dysphoria.

For those of you who don’t know, gender dysphoria is the psychological phrase used for transgender people. In my presentation, I described it as a disorder characterized by a disconnect between one’s gender assigned at birth and the way they express themselves throughout a period of at least 6 months.

In the days leading up to my presentation, I was extremely nervous. I was scared that I would get made fun of or that people would be weird around me after it. But, in an impulsive moment, I volunteered to go two days early. I loaded my presentation, and then I walked to the front of the room, shaking.

My presentation started with pictures of me through the years. I thought that people would see a transition from a “boy” to a “girl,” but they just saw me. No one guessed the connection when I asked. I guess people just see me as a person, which I am 1000% okay with.

After that part of the presentation, I came out. I told the class that I am transgender. I explained some terminology such as non-binary and preferred pronouns, and I told the class that I use they/them pronouns. No one objected to this. It was a truly liberating feeling to not have to say something about how the singular they has been in use since the 14th century. No one was rude, and no one left the room in protest. Everyone was accepting. It was a wonderful feeling.

I then showed a video of Laura Jane Grace (my hero) talking about how to talk to trans people. She was talking to Larry King, whom I described as “an old white man with a podcast.” She says that you should talk to a trans person in the same way you would talk to someone you’re equally close to. I summed it up by saying “You wouldn’t feel comfortable if someone walked up to you on the street and asked about your genitals, so why would you ask a trans person that?”

All in all, my presentation went really well. I was amazed by how accepting people were. So many people came up to me after it and told me I did a good job. It was really nice to be able to talk about this. I usually don’t bring it up anymore, but it was good and helpful to look back at this. I’m glad I came out to my class. It worked out really well, and it was a fun experience.

Thanks for reading,

M

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Tags: featured, Identity, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul