You're asking your mother to do something very hard. Her instincts are to help you avoid pain. To her generation transgender wasn't even a word. She was vaguely aware of Christine Jorgenson and maybe even Candy Darling. If she picked up a psychology book she would read that "cross-dressing" is a mental disorder closely akin to child molesting.

Her mother knew nothing of gender dysphoria. She barely understood that gay people existed. When HER mother was your age the word gay didn't have that meaning.

The world has changed extremely rapidly regarding transgender. I'm sorry if I'm misreading what you've posted, but it seems like your applying standard of your generation to your mother, which is bound to create cognitive dissonance.

You're 26 and living at home. According to a recent study 32% of adults 18-34 live with their parents. Believe me . . . this was unheard of not that many years ago. I'm 68, and when I was a teenager, unless you were going on to college, you moved out at 18 and supported yourself ... period. All of my four children moved out immediately after college. Two came back for short periods of time. At the moment the three of my children who are 18-34 are all living on their own and are self supporting.

I think it's great that so many young people live in multi-generational homes. However, your mother might be applying the standards of her generation to you and might think she is being horribly supportive . . . and because of that support has a right to "mother" you. If that is the case, she is wrong.

I might be all wet on this and if that is the case, simply ask Erin to delete this comment and accept my apology. But . . . from the "peanut gallery" it appears like a failure to communicate due to generational differences.

(Generational difference = knowing what a "peanut gallery" was -- Cowabunga.)

Good luck to you.