So, I've recently been wanting to come out to my school as a transguy. And since my school's a little weird, I guess I'll talk about that first. See, I live in the Bible Belt in this ever-growing town in Oklahoma. Even though a ton of people here are conservative Christians, save for a portion of the students, the school is mostly gay-friendly. No homophobia horror stories have taken place there, and gay students are happy and integrated. The problem is, it's about .001% trans. That tiny percent being me. One transgendered person, an MTF who was one of my sister's best friends, came out her sophomore year, and faced a lot of transphobia, being called names and spit on in the hallway, eventually either transferring or opting to be homeschooled. But when she returned for her senior year, she was widely accepted and just graduated last year. I am hoping people still retain the open-mindedness they showed Katie, and I believe my school is generally save for coming out (seeing as she was not physically harrassed.) So now I face this problem: how do I come out to my school? I want to make sure people understand what I am and what I am doing, basically if not fully. I already dress in mens' clothes as well as already going by Ben (which is percieved as a nickname), so I can't suddenly surprise people by "crossdressing" and my hair is already short. i want people to understand that I am a man, not a lesbian, and i want to go by male pronouns. How can I do this without having to have an awkward twenty-minute-long discussion with every class?
Well, I think if you're willing and ready, it's a step you should try and take. Dress the part, explain to your teachers (via note should do), and make sure your friends know what pronouns to use, etc. I can't say I know how to avoid transphobia and misunderstandings but going by your example of Katie, it's obvious they're open to change- it'll just take time. But make sure you have support- join a trans* support group or even just voice your concerns here on EC. It's a big step and it only gets better when you've got someone to back you up.
You could just start correcting people who use female pronouns for you - saying 'actually, I prefer to be called 'he'' or something like that. That should get the point across pretty clearly.
