Speaking out

A Conservative and very religious upbringing was the norm for rural Georgia. Much like other rural places in the United States. Quinns life hadn’t been the easiest. A life where they wanted to be seen as themselves rather than the gender they’d been pressured into being. Not once did they really identify as either gender. It hadn’t been something they could even talk about, much less share, with anyone, for good reason. They’d been met with the usual “it’s just a phase” kind of comments. The kind of comments made by “friends” along with their entire family, ensured they’d never be able to trust anyone they’d grown up with. The few friends who did understand were also LGBTQIA in some way. They’d supported Quinn in their quest to be who they’d always known themselves to be. They’d validated Quinns feelings. Their struggles with who they know themself to be against the religious beliefs swirling around in their life. In their journey to finding themself as well.

Those friends left days after High School graduation. It meant Quinn no longer had the support system they’d once had. They didn’t care. They’d hoped to leave at some point in the weeks ahead. They’d also known how little of a chance of that happening it really was. They’d not been given the same opportunities as others. For a variety of reasons. The main one being lack of income from not being able to find a job. They’d not had a job due to lack of experience. Places didn’t want them for not having any experience, despite being a teenager entering the workforce for the first time, along with being openly LGBTQIA on top of that.  

Their moms untimely death five years prior didn’t help. It meant they were in a one income household. The letter their mom had left was one of encouragement. A letter that helped them through the worst part of the torment they often endured. It’d given them hope that they’d one day be able to leave the town that never loved them behind. For good. Hopefully. It didn’t seem possible. Until they remembered the college fund their paternal grandmother had for them. One of the few family members that loved them for who they are. 

They’d taken a trip down to South Florida to ask questions about this college fund. To ask if it was okay to forego college and take that money out, somehow, to move away from the hypocritically bigoted town they’d been forced to live in. A proposal their grandmother was all for. She’d even suggested moving to South Florida, where it was more accepting, to get far away from that town. An offer Quinn wasn’t going to refuse. Their grandmother even suggested possibly moving in with her. Or their Aunt twenty minutes away. Quinn didn’t care where they moved to in South Florida. It was the chance of a new life they wanted. 

“Your mother would be so proud of you”
“I know. She’d said that in the letter she left me”
“I’m ashamed of your father. I don’t see him as my son anymore for how he’s treated you. Especially since her death. I know she’d be ashamed of him as well”
“I know. I’ve said that to him in not so many words. His habit of lying to me hasn’t helped at all”
“Yeah, I know. Do you plan to-”
“Have no contact with him or anyone else after I leave. No I don’t intend to”

Their grandmother made it known to Quinn how proud of them she was for the decisions they were making at such a young age. She’d given them money to get back down there after leaving. Quinn wasn’t one for materialistic things. It meant it was far easier for them to just up and leave if they so chose to. They weren’t ever able to really buy anything they wanted anyway due to lack of money. Not that they really cared. There wasn’t much materialistically they wanted. 

A confrontational conversation happened at the next family event. One where Quinn spoke up about the hypocrisy and bigotry running rampant amongst everyone there along with the rest of the town. They shared how they’d always known who they were despite what everyone else said. That they were listening to everything their mother instilled within them. That she’d be ashamed of everyone there, dad included, for not loving them for who they are. That she’d be proud of them for it. They read the letter out loud before leaving. They’d packed up and left by the time their dad got home an hour later. The only note left being one of leaving everything behind for a better, happier life.

“Come on, come back home”
“Not happening. You, along with everyone else, let their actions speak for them”
“That’s-”
“True and you know it! My mother would be ashamed of you. She’d divorce you and move somewhere where I’m loved for who I am”
“Andie, don’t-”
“I am and I will say that. You NEED to hear things like that. Whether you want to hear it or not. The bus is leaving soon and I’m getting on it and leaving”
 
No contact with family had been something they’d done after that conversation. It was decided to move in with their Aunt because of the area she lived in being one where Quinn would be able to have more opportunities with jobs. Many of which were within walking distance to some extent. They’d found a job in Retail as a Cashier and Stocker. They’d often work thirty hours each week. They’d been able to move out of their Aunts and into a decently sized studio apartment after a few months. They’d used the money they’d eventually received from the college fund to move into a studio apartment in Miami Beach. They’d transferred to a store in Miami Beach after an associate quit for unknown reasons. 
 
A happier life was the one thing Quinn wanted. A life they finally had. Their dad tried contacting them more than once. It’d been one of the reasons they’d moved out of their Aunts. It was an easy way to get to him. It was far easier for their grandmother and Aunt to say they didn’t know where Quinn was than for obvious signs they were living at their Aunts. Neither one of them knew where Quinn was most of the time anyway. 

They’d often be off on some adventure. An adventure that took them to different places in Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. They’d wanted nothing more than to explore the place that showed how much they loved them. A place that loved them far more than the town they’d grown up in. They’d often share where they’d been and where they were going whenever they’d visit their grandmother. She’d managed to make sure Quinn's dad wasn’t going to pop in unexpectedly. It became less likely to happen after she’d made it clear how disappointed in him she was for not loving his child for who they were. He stopped talking to her after that. For supporting her grandchild. For loving her grandchild for who they are. 

Acceptance for who they were showed as they began speaking out. They’d become a Speaker for a LGBTQIA Institute. A place specializing in showcasing people within the LGBTQIA community. People sharing their stories. People wanting to make a difference in a world that often said they had to conform to Societal Views that didn’t often make sense. Not to mention the religious views that were often going hand in hand with those Societal Views. It was Quinn's story that would often be heartbreaking. One that was also inspiring. They’d left everything behind for a better life. A happier life they finally had. 

“I for one am happy you found your peace”
“Thank you. I really do love you guys are so accepting of my community”
“It’s the stories like yours that, as heartbreaking as it is, is inspiring as well. It sheds light onto a topic that needs to be heard”
“Exactly why I share my story”

They’d often share why they tell their story. That they do so for a reason. To help people see that LGBTQIA people are like everyone else. Human beings with feelings and a life. People wanting the same out of life as anyone else.