I stopped talking with most of my family. They're not evil. They clearly care, but can't help but put you down.

It's ingrained in me. My reactions and thoughts feel poisoned. I catch their thoughts in my head and take a moment to reset.

Sometimes, I feel like I can't laugh because it sounds too much like them. I feel dumb or unproductive when experiencing comfort or joy.

Obviously, this isn't inherently a trans issue as I'm not transgender, but I sympathize. The gap in my case is religion, but not really because the issues go deeper than that.

I think people brave enough to decide who they want to be will always encounter resistance from people who are bitter from a lifetime of obedience to imaginary social constraints. It's invalidating to them for you to be happy and also yourself.