I ‘came out’ at school during Section 28 – trans kids will now face the same trauma

It chills me to think that 16-year-olds today might not have the same freedoms I did, writes Carrie Lyell, thanks to the government’s trans schools’ guidance – published today after months of infighting, which could put any young person who doesn’t conform to gender norms at risk

My teachers’ support gave me the time and space I needed to figure out who I was, and a few months later, I was able to have that conversation with my mum and dad (Getty Images)

I was “out” to my friends at school before I was “out” at home. Not because I thought my parents wouldn’t be supportive, but because I needed time to be able to understand myself before I could explain it to them.

While my teachers didn’t acknowledge directly what was going on – and couldn’t, thanks to Section 28 – they would shoot a fierce look at those who called me “dyke” in the corridors, and opened their classrooms at break times so I could hang out with friends away from the insults.

This gentle support gave me the time and space I needed to figure out who I was, and a few months later, I was able to have that conversation with my mum and dad. To come out in my own way, in my own words, in my own time.