http://transabled.org/thoughts/coming-out.htm Talking about Body Integrity Identity Disorder - Just another disability! Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:18:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 http://transabled.org/thoughts/coming-out.htm/comment-page-1#comment-15199 Claire Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:20:26 +0000 #comment-15199 I think that's a good way to handle it. I *hate* lying, I'm terrible at it, and I believe it to be wrong. And so my own way to explain my wheeling is much like yours. I say that I have an unexplained neurological condition. That is pretty much the truth. I think that’s a good way to handle it. I *hate* lying, I’m terrible at it, and I believe it to be wrong. And so my own way to explain my wheeling is much like yours. I say that I have an unexplained neurological condition. That is pretty much the truth.

]]> http://transabled.org/thoughts/coming-out.htm/comment-page-1#comment-15193 Bracey Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:53:37 +0000 #comment-15193 I figured out about a year ago that I was going to have to wear leg braces. There was just no way to avoid it, and now, as long as I wear them regularly, I am a more focused, calmer, kinder, happier person all around. I\'ve never thought I needed to have any specific, labeled condition; I\'ve always just felt like I needed a pair of leg braces. Evidently, my inner voice was right. So I\'ve told 3 people (very close friends) the truth of the matter, and I\'ve simply lied to everyone else in as little detail as possible. If a lie can\'t hurt anyone, I don\'t think it\'s wrong to use it, especially if it helps someone a lot as mine does for me. I made up a story to facilitate all aspects of my wearing habits, and it seems to work well. I guess the fact that I\'m single & live alone helps me pull this off, but I have to tell my story over & over & over & get it right every time because I have a ton of good friends, and that makes this treatment quite work-intensive on a psychological level. The simplest form of my story is that \"there\'s something weird going on with my legs, and I don\'t really know how to explain it because I\'m bad at science, but if I wear my braces like I\'m supposed to, they make my legs feel really good, so I really don\'t mind wearing them\". This is extremely close to the truth, close enough that I can believe it, and belief helps one keep a story straight (besides eliminating quite a few negative feelings about what I\'m doing). I do need them, they do make my legs (& the rest of me) feel good, and I can\'t explain why. That\'s the truth, right? All this makes me wonder what \"coming out\" would entail, or has entailed, for me. I figured out about a year ago that I was going to have to wear leg braces. There was just no way to avoid it, and now, as long as I wear them regularly, I am a more focused, calmer, kinder, happier person all around.
I\’ve never thought I needed to have any specific, labeled condition; I\’ve always just felt like I needed a pair of leg braces. Evidently, my inner voice was right.
So I\’ve told 3 people (very close friends) the truth of the matter, and I\’ve simply lied to everyone else in as little detail as possible. If a lie can\’t hurt anyone, I don\’t think it\’s wrong to use it, especially if it helps someone a lot as mine does for me. I made up a story to facilitate all aspects of my wearing habits, and it seems to work well.
I guess the fact that I\’m single & live alone helps me pull this off, but I have to tell my story over & over & over & get it right every time because I have a ton of good friends, and that makes this treatment quite work-intensive on a psychological level.
The simplest form of my story is that \”there\’s something weird going on with my legs, and I don\’t really know how to explain it because I\’m bad at science, but if I wear my braces like I\’m supposed to, they make my legs feel really good, so I really don\’t mind wearing them\”. This is extremely close to the truth, close enough that I can believe it, and belief helps one keep a story straight (besides eliminating quite a few negative feelings about what I\’m doing). I do need them, they do make my legs (& the rest of me) feel good, and I can\’t explain why. That\’s the truth, right?
All this makes me wonder what \”coming out\” would entail, or has entailed, for me.

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