I need advice on how to come through to my family as who I am.

[inky]

I am a teenager who has identified as bi and gender fluid for over two years. The only issues is, my parents and family aren’t really open to this. They are very strict and will criticize me for everything. I don’t think they would react well to me being gender fluid and bi, not to mention the rest of my problems. I want to find a way for them to accept me for who I am.

[Monsoon]

Hey Inky,

Welcome to our community. I'm one of the digital mentors here and I give advice to those who reach out to us

I'm sorry to hear that you think your family won't react well. So many people find themselves in a similar situation to you, and it can be tricky when they don't react well. However, I know through supporting other people that over time, family usually come around to the idea and they do this out of pure love. It can take a while which is really frustrating, and you just have to be patient with it. If they do react badly, they will probably have loads of awkward questions which you might find annoying, but if you keep on educating them and being firm about who you are, then the acceptance should follow. What do you think? 

Also, you might find this support guide useful: https://www.ditchthelabel.org/my-parents-didnt-react-well-to-me-coming-out/ - although it's about parents, it pretty much applies to anyone in a similar situation.