I first learned about the LGBTQIA+ community in sixth grade, though the term was different then and I didn’t understand what it meant. There was a classmate who had come out as transgender, and it just became a topic of conversation with everyone. Some kids just didn’t seem to take it seriously, but I do remember feeling curious and unsure how to react. I had never heard the term “transgender” before, and I didn’t know what it meant to transition. One day during lunch, that classmate explained to a small group of us what being transgender meant and why it was so important for them to live as their true self. It was the first time I realized not everyone’s experience with gender fit into the categories I had been taught. Looking back, I’m grateful for that moment because it challenged me to think differently at such a young age. Growing up, I started reading more about the community and how to be respectful or supportive. It was impactful to hear someone speak so openly about their struggles, especially at an age when so many of us were just trying to understand ourselves. It taught me to listen to other people’s experiences and to respect their identities. That experience shifted my mind to be more open to empathy and to have more curiosity that should continue to work on things like the way I approach the world today.
Unruly Bodies 
I think I also became aware of the LGBTQIA+ community around that time. My friend came out as lesbian and a family friend came out as trans. I am so proud and grateful to them for being themselves, especially since we went to a Catholic school. I remember thinking about it nonstop for some reason. Queerness lived at the forefront of my (then) cishet mind for years. I think being introduced to the possibility that you can be something else besides that made it easier for me to go on my identity journey and come out the other side (literally and figuratively) proudly queer.
This resonated with me, as I also learned about the LGBTQ+ community around this same age. I had a friend in middle school who came out as bisexual, and later on in high school, several of my peers came out as queer. Interestingly, I don’t remember having much of a reaction when I was first introduced to the LGBTQ+ community; rather, I remember simply accepting and respecting people for who they were and not thinking much of it. What stood out to me at this time, however, was the confusion and criticism by others. In my 11-year-old brain, I thought, “Why deem people unworthy of humanity for simply being who they are?” It didn’t make much sense to me, even though I was raised by devout Christian immigrants. In this sense, it wasn’t necessarily that I had to learn to have empathy, but instead, I began to question the empathy of others and society as a whole. Ultimately, I think this is part of what drew me to learn more about the experiences of queer individuals and understand how to be a more helpful ally.
Your post really resonated with me, because I also became aware of the LGBTQ+ community in middle school. A classmate of mine came out as bisexual, and because I was too shy to ask anyone what that meant, I researched it later on my own at home. It was in that moment that I realized that I too was a part of the queer community, even though I hadn’t fully figured my identity out yet. It’s really interesting to see in your post a similar experience from a cishet perspective.
I find it so nice how open-minded you were with understanding your classmate and their identity. I also discovered about LGBTQIA+ around the same time you did. I think it was in 7th grade when I learned of the word transgender from a show on TLC called Jazzy. It was about a trans girl named Jazzy and her daily life. I distinctly remember when she explained what being transgender was and as I was kind I was so understanding of it. That was until I went to my mom and aunt, excited to tell them about the show that I discovered and something new I learned. But when informing them of what I learned they were immediately against it and told me how being trans was a wrong thing. I tried to argue against them but they were of course still adamant about their viewpoints. I think growing up in such a religious and conservative family has affected my viewpoints as a kid but as I have grown up I have learned to stray away from this and educate myself.
I also learned about being transgender in sixth grade. For me, it was best friend who went to a different school who was telling me all about their friend. She was explaining to me that her friend was ‘a girl trapped in a boy’s body,’ and that was the first time I had heard of anything like that. I think it taught me important lessons around respectfulness as well. Everyone deserves kind treatment no matter who they are or how much time it takes to fully know them. It’s funny because I now identify as trans which I never in a million year thought that would happen. Of course now, I see all the signs that have been there all along so I have come to terms with my identity. Thank you for sharing your kind words.