My coming out story begins when I was a small and cute little cherub in middle school. When I was 12, I fell in love with the colors of a rainbow. I thought they were pretty and beautiful when I would see a rainbow after a rainstorm. Little did I know that my love for rainbows grew into something that was more than a love of its beauty. Senior year of high school and I was in my English Lit class. We were doing a mock interview for a job that we applied for. One of my classmates was laughing at me for no reason, then I ran out the classroom, with one of my classmates following me, making sure I was okay. Now... I had a small tiny crush on this classmate, and she was female. She had a boyfriend at the time, but I still maintained the crush while also respecting the fact the she had a significant other. At the time, I thought nothing of that crush... until she gave me a peck on the cheek. In my mind I was like "...oh my goodness. did she give me a kiss? Me? she gave this weird anamoly a kiss?!" She did eventually cheered me up, though. I was sad that she left high school before I did, but she was gonna do great things. 2016, after struggling with the fact that I had a crush on a girl and dealing with the pain of having my wisdom teeth removed, I graduated. Few years down the road, I began to think that girls were pretty, even though I mostly had puppy loves and crushes for guys. The confusion in my head was pretty evident, though I could've been overthinking things a tad bit. It wasn't until I was 19 years old when I learned about who I was and what I was feeling. Honestly, that discovery was a game-changer for me. I became happy and overjoyed to finally have the language needed to come into my truth... well, one of them. Sure, I knew that I liked both boys and girls, but I felt like there was more to my story than met the eye. A few years ago, when I turned 21, I went to my hair stylist that's been in my family for years. I asked if I could have my hair short, to which the stylist obliged. After she was done, I looked at myself in the mirror and cried a little bit. I felt euphoric! Not only was my hair easier to manage now, but I felt like I was one step closer to being myself, to being at ease with myself, to being comfortable with my truth. Though, I will say this... after I got my hair done, I began to call my gender identity into question. I mean sure, I was assigned female at birth, but over time, I wasn't really feeling like a female. I would dress like one of the guys; ball shorts, tank tops, t-shirts and so on. I didn't really feel comfortable with frilly frilly frou frou stuff, and to be honest, I don't think I ever have been comfortable with it. That had me think myself over again like "alright, I knew I was this, but does this sound right? Does this word fit me and how I'm feeling?" Three years later, I finally know who I am! It also took me several months into 2023 to fully acknowledge my truth. So... *deep breaths* *exhale* Hey, how's it going! I'm Elisa Miranda. I'm 24 years old, turning 25 next month. My pronouns are she/her and they/them, and I'm a Bisexual Demigirl! 🩷💙💜/🩶🩷🤍🩷🩶

I'm so super thankful that my friends and family accepted my long hidden truth. I'm also thankful for my significant other for helping me face the fear of rejection. And, I'm thankful to all the lovely peoples on this app for reading my coming out story! The road that led to this moment was a tough one, but that's what made it so satisfying in the end.

A message to those who came out: I'm pretty sure that the journey to your truth was a tough one, and it's probably still going. But even though you're having a hard time with your family not being supportive or what have you, just know that you are loved! You are loved, seen, heard and valid! You are a shining star in the sky! You are a beautiful soul that must be cherished!

And a message to those who haven't came out yet: It's okay if you haven't come out yet. You're still going through a very rough journey and it'll take a while. But just know that you aren't alone. You have people who care and love you for who you are, and they wouldn't pressure you to change. You're still valid and loved, honored and cherished, heard and seen! You got this!

Happy Pride Month and thanks for reading my coming out story!