ABSTRACT
This chapter is an oral history told by Jeremy, a 44-year-old white, bi, non-binary person living in Maine, with context and analysis by the author. Jeremy grew up mostly in Georgia and described his environment as extremely homophobic. Though he realized he was attracted to men and women from a young age, he kept it completely hidden, fearing that he would be bullied or even killed. He came out quickly in his progressive college environment, and while he first girlfriend seemed accepting, the relationship turned abusive, and she used Jeremy’s bisexuality against him. He eventually got out of that relationship and met his wife, who was totally accepting of his bi identity and later his non-binary gender identity. Though they have struggled at times, they’ve come through it because they can be completely honest with each other, without fear of abandonment. Jeremy now teaches art education and promotes queer visibility in schools in order to combat the recent spate of laws targeting queer and especially trans youth.
