Needless to say, I wasn’t trying to make a statement with my clothes, particularly not a coming out statement. At 14, I’d never experienced same-sex attraction or any real attraction, for that matter – I just wanted to be comfortable. But the suggestion of queerness, even if it was from someone who cared about me, made me self-conscious about how I was presenting. I had no idea what I wanted, who I liked or if I liked anyone at all. The idea that my clothes were ‘gay’ created this expectation that really stressed me out.
