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I just came out publicly in my journal. And I am scared shitless.
I am the least qualified to have done this, but I am the most confused by everything. I lose years of my life and need to be brought up to speed (after an adequate freaking out phase) everytime I come forward.
My memories stop at age 16... this body is now 24, almost 25.
The husband made the joke "Could be worse, you could be like 10 second Tom" I had no idea what he was talking about, so he sat down and watched 50 first dates... he had rented it as a joke with S.R., and they had a laugh over it. But all it did was make me cry... because that pretty much is how life is for me.
I'm sure you've seen this journal name in here before, apparently I've been a member before.
Anyway, my point was, it is now public knowledge...
What were your experiences "coming out" like?
I am the least qualified to have done this, but I am the most confused by everything. I lose years of my life and need to be brought up to speed (after an adequate freaking out phase) everytime I come forward.
My memories stop at age 16... this body is now 24, almost 25.
The husband made the joke "Could be worse, you could be like 10 second Tom" I had no idea what he was talking about, so he sat down and watched 50 first dates... he had rented it as a joke with S.R., and they had a laugh over it. But all it did was make me cry... because that pretty much is how life is for me.
I'm sure you've seen this journal name in here before, apparently I've been a member before.
Anyway, my point was, it is now public knowledge...
What were your experiences "coming out" like?
no subject
Date: 2004-08-13 06:24 pm (UTC)That's actually why we decided to adopt a strategy of coming out semi-casually-- on the level that someone might say "oh, by the way, I'm gay." We came to feel that making a big, serious deal out of telling someone you're multiple perpetuates the impression that it's something shameful and unpleasant, nothing you can tell someone with pride and a smile. We are not ashamed of what we are.
The one problem is that people indoctrinated in crappy TV ideas of what multiplicity is, think that if we could admit to it that casually we 'must' be faking for attention, because 'real' multiples never tell you they are and they also can't ever figure out they're multiple on their own and they would never tell you so casually because everyone knows it's gasp such a horrible life-destroying illness! >< On the other hand, if someone's determined to hold that view of plurality, we think we'd rather not have them as a friend.
Though it does also depend on who you're coming out to, yes. We prefer to be casual when coming out with friends, but I can see how if we were ever forced to come out to an employer or relative, we might want to take it a little more seriously-- we'd just somehow want to convey in our manner that we don't see anything wrong with being how we are.
We have never had anyone outright call us a liar, but we have had some grow very standoffish and begin disconnecting from us, and continue to insist on calling us by whatever name they knew us by when they first met us. So yeah, we can say we've lost some friends over it-- just subtly, but it makes us sad all the same.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-14 06:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-15 12:21 am (UTC)personally i do not care about the outside worlds singlets at large. i have little use for most of them unless they are willing to at least respect that i am as real as they are. if they do that much, i'm willing ot educate, help, laugh with & share their company.
what else is there...? you get on with life & make it as pleasant as possible.
T
no subject
Date: 2004-08-15 12:46 am (UTC)*nods* This is very true. I have a lot of singlet friends, being the one who deals with them most, and they are special to me, but the ones who couldn't handle it all I'm doing fine without. My best friends are the ones who acknowledge and accept it, my best friend always knows what's going on in the system, asks how people are doing when they've been having a rough time, today one of the littles made her first phone call ever so she could tell him about the snow we had today.
The friend who had been attacking us, however, the kids dismiss as "norty" and then forget about, and the older ones sort of frown and ignore him. lol
no subject
Date: 2004-08-16 05:58 am (UTC)Hold on to friends like that, they're worth their weight in gold. I have one, she's the first person who believed my story, need people like that around :)