I'll say it again, I have a pretty awesome mom, BUT her upbringing and profession give her a very biased view about anyone who isn't 100% cis-hetero. Today she randomly asked me whether I was losing hair from eating MSG, and I let it slip that although I was prepared to accept my fate I ended up inheriting my grandpa's baldness, people have kept it at bay with estrogen, which I affirmed that I was not considering taking. So when this *gestures broadly* topic came up, I took the opportunity to probe her thoughts without lying to her but also without telling her my exact thoughts on my gender.

I won't get into the cringey details, but know this: weigh the possible outcomes carefully when deciding whether to come out to your parents; dance around the topic first to get their opinions without drawing suspicion to yourself, if possible. Even some of the most loving parents may not be quite understanding enough.

Don't worry about me though; it's not that big of a deal for me to hide this side of me from her. Just thought I'd gently give a reality check to anyone who has been too caught up with the constant onslaught of successful coming-out stories, which, don't get me wrong, are awesome and should be shared.