Those of you who are part of the lgbtq+ community, how did you find out for the first time?

[Silent_cries]

During my teens I started questioning my sexuality bc as a child I would fantasize about dating other females (I'm cis female myself) and this confused the heck out of me. Especially since I would have male crushes too. Even tho I knew what bi was, it took me years to realize that I definitely am bi. Still no have a 100% figured it out yet thought.

 

[shtangley01]

Back in highschool I had this online friend who was a trans man whose teasing of me I found... inciting, so to speak. At the time I'd considered myself at least mostly straight, but in the interest of not being transphobic, I opted to define my sexuality as pansexual, with the idea that if I just happened to like afab people then it was just a genital preference, or something, but changing the label I went by actually ended up broadening my horizons a ton, and now I can appreciate beefy dudes and boobed women alike, and everything in-between or to-the-side. Later, I saw JaidenAnimation's aro/ace coming out video, and related to her experience of just not finding anyone attractive, and even trying to convince herself into having crushes, though only on the romantic level (I'm a little freak in the other respect).

 

[innominesatanas44]

When coach gave me his special post game massage

 

[moshimoshi]

I knew since pretty young that I'm pansexual, Ive always been attracted to people regardless of gender. My first kiss was with a girl. I guess my mom somehow picked up on me not being straight because she asked me if I was bi once (I think I was around 11 years old) somehow she knew before I could fully realize I wasn't straight myself. So I think the moment she asked me is the moment I truly found out for the first time. Although in the back of my head I already strongly expected it. I used to just stick to saying I'm bi, especially around other people because it can be hard to explain the term pansexual without feeling judged. But saying I'm bi is not really fitting imo because I'm attracted to women, men, non-binary, genderfluid, etc any gender. Not just men and women

 

[Malaria]

I would watch TV shows and realized I had crushes on the female characters, sometimes more often than I had crushes on the male characters

 

[Heartaches]

I had a lot if queer experiences in childhood: from having feelings for boys and girls, playing with toys for both genders, having masc attitudes, being a little rebel, and so forth. However, I never thought of myself as queer because there was no representation, language or information about being LGBTQ+ growing up. It took me until my late teens to begin question my sexuality and gender. I wish I could've known sooner.​

 

[eatantz]

I've always been attracted to smart guys but when i entered high school it became smart girls. I realised attractiveness doesn't have a gender.

 

[BooGirl]

I wasn't really all that cognizant of my sexuality until my late teens or so, but at one point I started kissing and then going on to other stuff with my (male) best friend, and I got some really intense crushes on various other boys at school. Then I realized I was trans, and of course it's a matter of personal identity in terms of being trans on whether you were always the gender you are or if you became the gender you are. But I digress, either way that was when I realized I was bisexual.

 

[AmericanMary]

I'm a millennial woman. I literally have always known I like other girls. Before ever touching one. Before anything. Before I ever knew what a lesbian was. I identified as a lesbian until college. Then I started messing around with men. Honestly I'm questioning if I have ever liked men or have always used men for gain. After the entire "bear v man" thing I have pretty much vowed to never consensually touch a cis male again should I be around long enough for the opportunity to arise. In and out of SW & dating predominantly older men. Idk. I'm lowkey spiraling.

TL;DR as a pansexual women, I knew I liked female presenting partner & nonbinary & etc people before I like male presenting partners.

 

[dykgot]

i never thought of my sexuality for a good while as a child until my early teens, but i always just knew i liked girls in the way that boys liked girls and that was that. but to be fair, my sexuality was put on a backburner as i began struggling with my gender identity before then (wanting to be a boy) but im now confident with the label of lesbian. whenever i used to get "oh is he your boyfriend" quips about my male friends i reacted with such visceral disgust that i feel like it became very apparent to those around me even before i truly knew myself.

 

[Ferdinand Bardamu]

getting molested
Honestly, I don't remember, nor do I really care

 

[wherearewenow]

at age 16, i came out as a bi boy for the first time. i loved the idea of being in a queer relationship, though i later realized i am not attracted to men. i also used my "bisexuality" to be more feminine. a year later, i realized i wasn't a bisexual boy—i was a transgender woman. i came out at 16 and started HRT at 17. it was the best decision i have ever made. i began passing visually 10 months later (i was a very effeminate boy, i got really lucky with genetics too), and my speaking voice started passing a year after that. i am fully passing now but still considered myself bi until this year, when i finally realized i am not attracted to men. i am a lesbian, a trans lesbian sure, but a lesbian! transitioning into a woman was the best decision i have ever made :D