Coming out story
My name is Sarah, but I go by Cobie now. When I was 14, I came out as bisexual. I first came out to my mom, and she supported me. I had told her I thought I liked girls, and she asked if I was gay, but I said to her "I think I'm bi?" We told my dad at dinner that night, who also supported me. I then decided to send an email to my brother, uncle on my dad's side, and both grandmothers. My grandmother on my dad's side was very supportive, along with my uncle and brother. However, my grandmother on my mom's side broke my heart. She told me she still loved me, but couldn't support me. She told me I didn't know what it meant to be bisexual. Around that time I also started self-harming. I developed anxiety and depression, mostly due to this new change and the negative feedback I received. I was eventually able to let it go, and moved on from the sensitive topic. I later realized I was actually pansexual, more interested in personalities than what someone looked like. Then, while in college, I discovered I didn't feel like I was all female, but not all male. I had made several friends within the LGBTQ+ community, and found a term that I felt fit me: gender fluid. I felt that some days I was more feminine, some days more masculine, and some just in between, not really one or the other. I started using they/them pronouns, and I really like it, but family still uses she/her, so I guess I tolerate that. I started going by my last name as I made this new change. I knew I didn't want to go by Sarah anymore, mostly because it was just so common and I was getting confused as to whether someone was calling my name or not. One of my coworkers then started calling me Cobie, a nickname he came up with from my last name, and I really liked the way it sounded as my name. So now, I'm just Cobie, a pansexual, gender fluid college student, trying to make my way through life.
