Season's Greetings! 

I think I'm just about recovered from the chaos of Christmas with my family, and I'm looking forward to some days on my own to recharge my social battery as it is kaput! Having said that, it's been a pretty good week for me in more ways than one.

I CAME OUT TO MY FAMILY! 

Yep, I came out of the closet as Non-Binary and told them I'm changing my name to Jerri by deed poll 

It went mostly okay, after starting a little bad. I asked my godmother for help with the deed poll - at least here in the U.K. for an enrolled deed poll I need two witnesses and someone to confirm my identity, none of which can be family and the person who confirms my identity has to have known me for over ten years and be a homeowner, so as all of my friends rent because of the housing market here, my godmother was really the only choice. She didn't react very well as she made it all about my mum because she didn't understand it, and she forced me out of the closet before I was ready. She said it was inappropriate to come out on Christmas Day (like I'd planned) and called my mum and dad then and there, a full five days early, and told them to come over. She actually panicked my parents into thinking I'd hurt myself so it wasn't handled very well AT ALL.

So it didn't start off well, but the rest has been pretty great! My parents were good, though they definitely don't call me Jerri yet but we're working on it. My brother's response was to panic over my Christmas present as he said it was personalised with my soon to be dead name but I told him it was fine as he didn't know and it was nobody's fault (it was an Avengers Starbucks cup which I'm definitely keeping!).

Next thing that kinda went wrong was my aunt and uncle finding out before I was ready too. Long story short, I had a panic attack on Christmas Day and so left my parents house early so I could go back home to my safe space and rest up. I left my coming out box at my parents house which was unintentional, but I'd left so quickly I didn't take anything with me. Boxing Day I went back over - it was my aunt's birthday and her and my uncle had stayed over, with my cousin and her husband arriving later that day. Anyway, my auntie came up to me and told me they saw my box the night before. They'd all had A LOT to drink and got nosey and thought it was a forgotten and unopened present. My uncle has the tendency to be very homophobic, misogynistic, racist, etc, but he actually surprised me by being okay with it, but I have a feeling my dad had talked to him rather sternly the night before. - Outing people before they're ready ain't cool! So that was a bit disappointing, just because this all keeps happening without my consent.

When my cousin and her husband came over, that was the one and only time I was actually able to come out how I'd planned! They gave me the biggest hugs and said they were proud of me and how lovely it was to meet me as Jerri. That was the response I'd wanted and it felt amazing! 

I'm not rushing into filling in and sending off the deed poll (it costs £42 here because it will be official) but I'm definitely excited to do it!

Wishing you all the best for 2022,

Jerri

x