Losses and gains

I'm thinking it might actually help some to hear that on the balance sheet of things, coming out often means you lose some, often means you gain more.

My story, my example.

Born 2nd of 3. Father had already passed in 2007 when I arrived as me 2012.
My older brother and I fought like cats and dogs as kids. Here it is 2018, and my big brother is one of my greatest supporters. Mess with me, you mess with my brother. He knows of hockey teams and football teams he can borrow (he was the sports editor that started the Ottawa Sun newspaper, he just writes sports for them now). Not wise to be rough with his little sister.

My mom is ok with me. She's 83 and has trouble keeping track though. Told me she originally had hoped for a second daughter. Guess she had 2 all along.

My sister is kind of experiencing a family friction condition. I have no idea where I stand as her now older sister. She's kinda ditched me along with our brother over a money matter. Her doing.

My brother's 4 nephews are great with me as their now aunt. My sister's youngest is good with me too. We were always close though. Her oldest daughter hasn't really met me yet. Likely ok.

Marriage was already defacto dead before I showed up. Likely was his fault. Divorce happened during my watch. It went civilly. I no longer see her. Totally different matter. She has a problem sharing the label 'mom' with our 23-year-old son. Son is great with me and thus, I'm cool. He has a nice girlfriend who is great with me. She has a 3-year-old daughter. Maybe I get to be called grandma some day. I can hope.

The inlaws just walked out of my life before the separation even happened. Likely 100% the work of the brother-in-law. One of those [insert rude language] 'Christians'. Lost a lot of nieces and nephews. I'll never know what they think of me.

I didn't lose coworkers or work. I haven't worked since 94.
I lost some so-called friends. Essentially, people, I don't really miss. Guys I role gamed with.
I lost one very close friend, again, a victim of the disease known as Religion.
Actually, I lost a total of 3 persons due to the disease known as religion. Amazing I stuck it out in Christianity as long as I did considering all the 'fine' examples out there.

I gained a lot of friends through my Canadian Anglican church activities. I'm no longer a Christian, but those people are still friends. I've met a lot of guys through the hobby shop, and yeah, they're typical guys, and they treat me just fine.

I have many friendly faces I know in retail.
My landlord is a friend as much as a landlord.

The final count, I lost fewer people than I have fingers. I gained more people than I can count.
I have a LOT of LGBT based contact friends. I'm involved with PFLAG. I have a nice group of online friends. I have you guys and my Facebook contacts. I gained an honourary Aunt and a man I call 'dad'.

Before I became 'me' I had a dying marriage, a son, a few fake friends, and a bunch of inlaws that treated me like a leper at the first chance it seems. I was unsure of the family in the beginning. The life I left behind, it was NO loss at all.

My story is my story. Yours might be worse, it might be similar, it might be better. I have transgender sisters who kept their spouse. I have transgender brothers and sisters who actually got married as their real self.
But until you become you, you will never know what the future might have waiting for you.