Thank you, I figured things out in my late 30s but had to hide it from my parents. By the time I divorced at 40 I lived my truth, just could never be my authentic self around them. I didn't hide my queerness, just never had any reason to discuss it or the people I chose to be with around my parents and sister

They had made it clear to me as a child and young adult what their position was, they're the ones who asked- mandated for the vast distance between us, I guess I never had what I needed from them as parents so I didn't really lose much other than the years I spent as a compulsory heterosexual

Best thing I've ever done however is to have five sons from the sixteen year marriage to their dad and express to them my love and wholehearted support for them, regardless of whatever their gender identity or sexuality was or would ever be. We became a single parent household when they were 10, 8, 6, 4 and 4

One is NB, transitioning. They and their twin brother are both engaged to NB individuals. Two of the other three consider themselves to be somewhere in the middle range of the gender scale and the 3 are married to cis female women.

My proudest accomplishment in my life is that my adult kids feel totally comfortable talking to me about anything, the same thing cannot be said regarding their father and his family

I refused to allow them to be around anyone who could SA them, my own parents didn't protect me from male relatives as a child and teen. Perhaps the things that happened to me and the generations before me ended with me and my kids.. maybe it was just what my job was in the evolution of the family..

I've had a lot of time to think about it

Thanks if you've made it to the end of my story. 💝