How would your younger self act if your current self told them they were queer?
I think once I got over being confused by all the new terminology - because young me had never heard of aromantic before, or heard asexual get used in a queer context - I think I'd have been very relieved. Certainly that was my mid/late twenties reaction.
Teen me definitely would have cried, though maybe not quite so much as later me did. Though I'd have definitely been more worried about how my parents would react. I'd have been more worried about my very Catholic mom - who, ironically perhaps, took me being queer far better than my 'raised by a gay man, can't possibly be queerphobic' dad (the sarcasm is heavy there, dad means well but he's got so many unexamined prejudices he does not want to acknowledge thanks to his childhood trauma). Much less of a surprise after she wound up fine with my sister moving in with her boyfriend before he became her fiance or husband. (She's mellowed a lot since throwing out my Chobits books and insisting they were porn.)
But overall, teen me would definitely be feeling relief. The closest I came to a crush as a teen were a few mild squishes. And the idea of acting on what I thought were maybe crushes (I was not sure, which in retrospect makes so much sense) was just... gave me anxiety in a bad way. I never dated - I did 'hang out' with a guy who wanted to date me, but dragged my bestie along too so it wouldn't get awkward. Um. Great idea. (now the sarcasm is aimed at myself.) Knowing that it was okay not to date and, more specifically, to not want to date and there was terminology for me? It would have been such a weight off my shoulders and I think I'd have been a lot more relaxed later going from high school into college.
As for very young me, I'd have probably just gone 'huh, no wonder it makes zero since why those two friends(ish) of mine are dating in elementary school... though, like, they're still too young aren't they???' because I definitely thought we were all too young for dating at that age and what was the point anyway? Was it like being super best friends? Why not just call it that? Lol
❤️ - What are your pronouns? 🌹 - What is your Sexuality? 🍁 - When did you first realize you were queer? 🔥 - How has the way you think abo
