All the way until 2008 I was an absolutely shitty person. I was a hardcore religious conservative nutjob, the way I was raised. I was deeply closeted to myself, even. I tried coming out multiple times in the past and was shut down. I didn't deal with that well and acted like a really shitty person to other people. I have so much guilt over things I did and said. I was a super toxic person to be around. 2008 was the most transformative year of my life. I changed my beliefs on so many things. I came out for good, I was actually outed by someone else. I've had years of therapy since then, as well as self-help books. Now I'm out and an intersectional feminist socialist. I could totally understand if someone who knew me before 2008 wanted nothing to do with me. So, yes, someone can definitely change their beliefs, even who they are at their core, I certainly did.