I grew up feeling like I did not fit in with my family or with the very vanilla community I grew up in. There are things that I would like to tell myself if I could go back in time to my childhood. I know it's too late to do that, but my inner child is still there, and so it still helps to express these suggestions. And it may help others to read them.

Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. You don't always get what you ask for, but you never get what you don't ask for.

Don't be afraid to be who and what you are. Always know that you are a good and wonderful person.

Don't accept disrespect. If someone treats you with disrespect, calmly tell them that they are being disrespectful and discourteous. (You may have to do that repeatedly. That's ok.) If that does not change their behavior, then eliminate them from your life if you can; ignore them if you cannot. In any case, realize that their disrespect is a flaw in them; it does not reflect a flaw in you.

Reveal when you have been abused. Find someone to talk to who can be sympathetic and helpful. Yes, it takes courage, but it is actually less painful to discuss it than to hold it in. And know that it is not your fault; it is theirs. It is their shame, not yours.