During middle school, I realized I was attracted to women and men; I was bisexual. I found this out through a friend of mine that I was really close to at the time. At first, I thought we were just really close friends, when people would say we were basically a couple I would ignore it because all we were was friends. But as time went on I started to enjoy these comments and thought that maybe we could be something more. Eventually after a long time of debating over my feelings and trying to see what we could be I eventually started dating this friend and have been ever since. My story is very similar to the situations explained in the reading “Having a Girlfriend Without Knowing It” by Lisa M. Diamond. For the longest time, I was scared that our relationship would be seen as odd because we always told other people we only liked men. This reading showed me that I'm not the only person to feel this way about a friend and that it's more common than I realized. 

After struggling with my identity for years I was actually inspired to come to terms with everything because of the other strong women in my family. The women in my family who have given me the most support and helped me come to terms with myself were my grandmother, aunt, and mom. They all had to deal with the fear of standing up for themselves in a culture that expects women to fit one role; the caretaker. In the reading “Fear of Feminism: Why Young Women Get the Willies” by Lisa Marie Hogeland she mentions how women are scared to speak up for themselves or be considered feminists for many reasons. All three of these women in my family felt the same way, my grandma was scared she would be called out for getting a divorce, my aunt didn’t want to have kids simply to please her mother, and my mom was scared she would get judged by getting pregnant with me at such a young age. Regardless of these fears, they knew that they had to fight for what they wanted or that they would end up living unhappy lives. To this day they tell me of these hardships so I can learn and be inspired by them. They’ve all inspired me to also stand up for what I want regardless of what our family would think. So when I eventually came out to them and told them that I would go to college they were thrilled that I was following the path of my choice. I wouldn't be here creating this Padlet if it wasn't for them pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Even after accepting the parts of myself that I've been insecure about, I'm still not completely sure who I am and who I'll be in the next few years. But what I do know is that all the support and guidance I've gotten is something I want to do for others as well. This is why I decided to become a teacher. There are many negative things people will say about it but it's what I've decided to do. I still don't know what grade I want to teach but I'm considering middle school through high school. I even volunteered and did some events for my sister's school to get experience. The main thing I want my future students to know is that they can accept everything about themselves, they'll never feel like they aren't good enough to follow their ambitions or be outsiders because they don't fit the standard. I want to help guide the next generation to be the best version of themselves.