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TO STUDENT: Words of encouragement

| January 22, 2021 1:00 AM

I hope you get the chance to read this. I wanted you to know you are not alone.

At 11, I was there too. In fact, there is not a time in my memory that I wasn’t questioning who I was. I didn’t know what was going on or why, I just knew I was not who everyone saw. In fact, my parents took me to see someone at 13 because “I seem to have this thing with girl clothes.”

There wasn’t the information or language then, so he assumed it meant I was attracted to girls. That was a different time and I’m happy that you had someone you could go to who would listen, without judgement. I didn’t have that and I tried to keep it hidden from everyone, which doesn’t work. Twenty-five years later, I still was not who everyone saw… so I told them, and showed them.

It took my family a while to talk things out, and through that process there were no life altering events as I keep hearing when others are talking about you, and not with you. There was just love and support. I hope those in your life can find the love to listen, the willingness to try to understand life through your eyes, not theirs. I am sorry this is so hard for you, and I hope you stay strong, and know you have supporters like me.

I wish you well, and I wish I could give you a hug.

TYLENE CARNELL

Ellensburg, Wash.