@stellaxfrancis: Because I never know which version of them I’m going to get after I say it. Sometimes they’re sweet at first. Interested. Flirty. They look at me like I’m the prettiest girl in the room. And then I tell them I’m trans… and it’s like watching a door slam shut in real time. The smile changes. The energy changes. Suddenly I’m not a person anymore — I’m a problem they have to process. Some get awkward. Some get angry. Some act like I personally betrayed them just by existing. And the worst part is that nothing about me actually changed in that moment. The only thing that changed was the story in their head. So no, it’s not always about shame. Sometimes it’s exhaustion. Exhaustion from constantly preparing myself for rejection. Exhaustion from wondering if honesty will make me unsafe. Exhaustion from being treated like a confession instead of a human being. People act like telling someone you’re trans is this simple, casual thing. But for girls like me, it can completely change the atmosphere in seconds. One minute you’re laughing together. The next minute you’re watching someone reconsider your humanity. And after experiencing that enough times… you stop treating disclosure like a harmless conversation. Because sometimes, it isn’t.