By Matt D.

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I didn't know a lot of stuff as a kid. Well, I don't know a lot of stuff now. I was extremely sheltered and had to learn a lot of stuff by myself, especially important stuff about me.

I didn't know that "bisexual" was even a word until I was in seventh grade. I had thought it was weird concept when I first heard of it, and when I had a had a crush for the first time, it was on a girl. I was terrified and I had no idea what to do. It was a sin, right? I had liked boys too, and I was confused about why I wasn't gay, but something else. What was it? Bisexual.

About a year later, I told my family about it. I was terrified, and I thought it was going well. Then, months later, my dad gave me a talk about how "bisexuality doesn't exist," and I was hurt. God, was I hurt.

I didn't know what transgender was until Caitlyn Jenner came out. I had the same reaction to this as I did with gay. I realized it was a beacon of hope for me, that I, a confused girl uncomfortable with her body, could be the boy that I wanted do be for years. But I realized that it was only for male-to-female. That broke my heart.

Go half a year later. I was watching a Shane Dawson video when he mentioned female-to-male transgender and I thought to myself, "Wow. I was right. I could be this." I turned it off for a minute, more like months.

Earlier this year, I came to peace with myself and decided it was the path for me. I came out to my friends as female-to-male transgender a week later. It was touching to know that they believed in me and accepted me the way they still do today. I want to thank them for that, right here and now.