Coming out to old friends in online meetings.

[Davie]

So I attend zoom meetings a lot for meditation practice and twelve step recovery. I picked out one old and good friend who've I've never met in person and came out to her today. It went well, but I do feel a certain scary shift when I do that. It feels like I'm creating a new world with its own set of fears attached. But it's also a way to the true me and not having to hide from it. One step at a time is progress.

Thanks,

Davie

[KathyLauren]

Congratulations on coming out to your old friend.  Yes, you are creating a new world, the world that contains the true you.  That is a good thing.

 

I have come out to quite a few friends online.  A lot of them are old air force buddies.  I have had one or two fail to respond to my messages, but the vast majority have been very positive.  That is a pretty conservative crowd, so the response was better than I expected.  I hope it goes that way for you, too.

[stveee]

Great that you face your fears and continue to expand, you are inspiring me.

 

I have one Army friend of now almost 30 years that I am excited to set up a Zoom meeting and come out to him. I don't think he will be suprised.

I think I may have even mentioned to him back in the barracks in Germany about what it would be like to be a girl.

[Desert Fox]

I have discovered that same scary shift too. After decades of having “my friends” and the male side having “his friends” and keeping those worlds separate, the desire to try to merge and come clean with everyone has come to the forefront,  but it’s really hard to do that…there’s a fear like I haven’t experienced before when keeping myself more private. 
 

I hope this process gets easier over time. I think it should, and I suppose it’ll be good to sort out who remains friends and who doesn’t, but it also means facing rejection and loss again as I’m certain some will not be OK with knowing both sides of us.