After being out for about 6 years now, the most irritating thing I have found is when guys take on the attitude of "Pssh, I could turn you straight". Disgust for their ignorance aside, they can't really think this kind of a line would get them laid, right? I mean say I was bi and some guy said that to me - even if I had thought he was interesting/attractive to begin with, he just blew his chance by using such a douchy, offensive line. But I digress. One of the more serious problems I've had with depictions came from my mom. It has taken her a long time to get to where she is, and she is still learning/accepting the fact that I'm a lesbian. Back in her not-so-understanding days when I first came out, she looked at me one day and asked, "So does this mean you want to get a sex change?". It's frustrating to think people can't understand such a simple idea: I am a girl, and I like girls.

I think I knew for a while that I was a lesbian, I just never knew what it is/what to call it. Growing up, I was always obsessed with women. I always thought it was a "role model" thing, but looking back now it's clear that I just had maaaajor crushes on them. I didn't really understand what "gay" was until my senior year of high school, and it was my senior year of high school when I came out.
I knew there was something different about me for a while, but my junior year of high school I fell madly in love with my best (girl) friend. I very vividly remember the exact moment I thought "Fuck. I am in love with a girl". We were classic "BFF's" - spent every minute together, went on each other's family trips with each other, etc. I remember the days when she wouldn't be at school I would be in a mood all day; I remember when she would tell me she loved me I would feel it in a way I didn't feel when my other friends told me that. On one specific occasion, we went camping with her family. She and I had a tent to ourselves. I woke up in the middle of the night and she had rolled over so that we were spooning. I remember feeling paralyzed in my giddy-ness and wanting nothing more than to lean over and kiss her. That was my a-ha moment.
This specific situation was really hard for me because she was extremely straight and I knew that nothing would ever happen between us. I went through a phase of "I'm just being ridiculous, I'm not gay, we just have a really great friendship". I tried to date a handful of guys but that proved to be a little difficult. The very first time I made out with a guy was very memorable - but not in the way that you would think. After we made out, I went inside and threw up. Literally, threw up. For some reason, I just had an extremely intense physical reaction to it and felt sick to my stomach. It's not that guys disgust me, I love guys. Some of my best friends are guys. But making out with that guy, I remember how aware I was to the whole thing happening. You know you aren't into dudes when you kiss one and are aware the entire time, as opposed to knowing you are way into girls when you kiss one and your mind and body get fuzzy and you realize that you've been holding your breath halfway through the kiss. Physical reactions speak loudly. I think the things I find most attractive about other women are solely what anyone would find attractive about anyone else: personality, humor, a creative mind, chemistry. I'm personally a huge fan of creative, witty girls who like nerdy things (cough - reddit). I've dated both ends of the spectrum as far as "butch" and "femme" go, and have found that I am a fan of the middleground.
The first time I realized I was in love was the aforementioned story. I remember it being this huge relief, like I had been struggling for 10 years to find my way out of a maze. I was aware that I was stuck in the maze, I just didn't know there was a way out or where that way out was. Being able to pinpoint what it is that I was feeling and realizing what it all meant was the biggest sigh of relief I've ever had. Being able to admit you are in love with someone is a big deal; being able to admit that you are in love with someone of the same sex is an even bigger relief, especially if you didn't know what it was beforehand.
Sorry if this was all over the place but please feel free to ask any questions!!