Title pending

Introduction

This book is going to be used to educate and help inform about the LGBT+ community. 

Why did I choose to write a book?

I want to share my own views on things as well as show other people's views on things. I want to educate as many people as I can. The #1 reason someone is homophobic, transphobic, biphobic, panphobic, etc. is they are uneducated and don't understand.

I grew up in a little town in Kentucky, and it was okay. It's very southern, and there is a lot of LGBT+ hate everywhere. There's either the extremely religious, extreme "rednecks" with their confederate flags and spit cans called LGBT+ people "Queers" (and other names I won't mention) like it's an insult, the preppy stuck-ups that think LGBT+ people just want attention, and then the LGBT+ community that is very small. 

I was raised in a Pentecostal church, which taught that being gay, bi, trans, etc. would send you to a fiery Hell. yeah, they told us that from birth. They said to stay away from sinners because they'll make you sin, but they also tell you to help sinners?? (Nevermind that's a whole book in itself).

I started questioning myself in about 8th or 9th grade, seeing that the church was full of stuck-ups that went to church for looks. I started to see that I was unhappy as a girl. Believe it or not, at first, I was homophobic and transphobic, just because I was raised that way. But then, I started to see that there was nothing wrong with being gay or transgender or bisexual or anything. I hid my thoughts because I thought I was just going through puberty or whatever. 

Then I really started to question myself. I talked to some of my queer friends (again, NOT an insult, just an umbrella term), and talked to them about being transgender. They said I could be whatever or whoever I want, and that they supported me no matter what. When I told my best friend (at the time), she said (literally this is what she said): "I know you're trans, I knew before you did." Yeah, so then I was really sure that this is who I was. I started looking for names and how to look more like Raphael instead of *insert dead name here*. 

Then it was time to tell my mom who is very religious. I told her, well not really told her. I can't confront people, so I wrote her a letter and she read it with me in the room. Of course she said the usual things: "You're perfect the way you are. God made you a girl, so you're supposed to be a girl. Maybe we should pray about it and figure out how to deal with this".  At this time, I had stopped going to church, I didn't pray because I didn't feel a need to, and I cursed like a sailor (still do). 

We fought about it for a long time, and the day after my 18th birthday, "You can either live by my rules or you can leave". 

So I did.

I moved in with my dad and I learned that I had been so anxious and depressed because I was so scared of what would happen if I confronted my mom. But when I left, it felt like it was the right thing to do. I went back to get a bunch of my stuff, and I've lived with my dad for over a year now. I've had less panic attacks, I feel more comfortable in my own skin, and I FINALLY got a "boy" haircut. 

Me and mom have patched things up a bit, we still disagree on a lot of things though. 

Now was the time to confront my dad, who didn't really support LGBT+ but wasn't really against it. I actually talked to him face-to-face about it (which was a big deal for me) and he asked a few questions because he didn't really understand. He said (and I quote), "I'd rather you'd stay how you are, but I'm not gonna stop you. I'll be here if you ever need me." 

It was really scary because if he kicked me out I would literally be homeless. 

Now it's time to get into the rest of this gay book. I've done lots of research and I really felt like I needed to write all this knowledge down because I have the memory span of a goldfish, and... wait? What was I talking about?

Enjoy!!