Work Text:
Leo was the first one to come out in a sense. He was 13, watching Lou Jitsu when he asked his family. "Why is it always boy and girl fall in love? Can't it be boy and boy?" Leo seemed worried about this idea.
"If you love the same gender it's called being gay." Splinter actually seemed thoughtful for a change. "There's nothing wrong with being gay, but some people are close minded. It's why boy and girl relationships are what you see on tv the most."
"So it's okay I like boys?" It was a rare moment where Leo let himself be vulnerable.
"Of course." Splinter pat Leo on the shoulder from his spot on the couch. "You will always be my son no matter what. All of you will be."
After Leo 'came out' he joined many online LGBTQ communities, and made some of his first online friends.
April was next. She was hanging out with the guys and Sunita when she shifted the tone suddenly. "Can I tell you all something?"
Her brothers and friends turned to her, and Mikey shifted into his dr. Feelings persona slightly. "Of course April!"
She breathed in nervously and her face went red. "I don't even know if you guys know what this is, but… I'M A LESBIAN!" She shouted the last part suddenly, and looked at the ground embarrassed.
"April." Leo was in a serious tone.
April hunched in on herself. "Mhmm."
"Me too!" Leo was partly celebrating. "Well I'm not a lesbian, but I'm gay!"
"You are?" April met Leo's eyes.
"Is your gaydar working?" Leo joked.
"No such thing as a gaydar Leo." Donnie added quietly.
April looked around for a moment. "It does work, but I didn't think you guys knew about the LGBTQ community."
"Your right I don't know" Sunita piped in. "Can you explain it so I can understand?"
"Being gay is being attracted to people of the same gender either romantically or sexually. Lesbian is a term describing non-men who are attracted to non-men." Donnie explained.
"Oh!" Sunita paused for a moment. "Is that abnormal for humans? Because it's normal for us Yokai."
"I wish humanity was that accepting." April was relaxed once more. "America only made gay marriage legal in my lifetime. A bunch of countries still have laws against homosexuality still, and it just is so frustrating."
"Agreed." Leo leaned over to April. "At least we can go to pride. That's pretty fun."
"We totally should!" April was very excited by the idea.
Donnie was third.
"Hey, ummm guys?" Donnie asked after a pizza party. They were still recovering from the fight with shredder, and had been taking it easy. "Can I ask you guys some questions?"
"Of course?" Mikey sounded a bit worried.
"Raph is always happy to answer Donnie's questions. except if they're math questions."
"Alright." Donnie took a breath. "Do you ever not feel like a dude, but not a girl?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Do you feel uncomfortable with he/him pronouns? Do you want us to stop using them." Mikey moved closer but was careful not to touch Donnie.
"No? No. I like using he/him pronouns and even masculine terms. I'm alright with they/them too but I like he/him." He paused for a moment. "I just don't feel like a man." Donnie scratched his left inner forearm.
" Have you considered potentially being non-binary?" April suggested.
"Well, yeah. But if I were non-binary wouldn't I hate gendered terms especially for my assigned gender at birth?"
"Ho ho ho my dear brother. Not necessarily. Gender does not equal pronouns, or presentation." Leo added in some extra flair. "Can't believe the 'intelligent' one didn't know that one."
"So I'm non-binary then?"
"If it feels right use the term, and if you find another term later on that you prefer don't worry about changing." April got up to refill her water glass. "For a long time I thought I was bi before realizing I was lesbian."
"Is there anything that we can do to make you happier?"
"Maybe use they/them sometimes for me along with he/him, and don't call me a boy? You can call me your brother, or handsome, but don't call me a boy."
"Alright!" Leo counted his fingers. "He/they, masculine terms, but no reference to you being a boy. Is that about right?"
"Yeah."
Mikey was 4th.
"Hey April?" Mikey asked just as she was leaving the lair. "Can I go to your place? Without the others?"
"Alright!" April waited until they were closing the door to her apartment behind them before she asked. "So what's goin on?"
"I was just wondering…" Mikey blushed a little and stared holes into the floor. "Could I try on some feminine outfits?"
"That's all?" She watched Mikey curl up on himself and nod. "Of course you can! What kind of stuff do you want to try? Dresses? Skirts? Jewelry?"
"Just… everything."
An hour later Mikey was still having fun twirling around in all sorts of feminine clothing.
"So how do you feel Mikey?"
"AMAZING!" Mikey twirled again in the yellow circle skirt. "It reminds me of putting on suits, but so far the skirts haven't made me feel icky."
"Icky?"
"Yeah icky. Like they feel so wrong that I almost want to crawl out of my skin. That or hide in my shell and never come out." Mikey motioned to the skirt he was wearing, "but none of this has made me feel that way!"
"That's good to hear! Why don't you take some of these home, and we'll go shopping for more of your stuff later this week."
"Oh yeah!!" Mikey's smile was so bright it almost blinded April.
3 days later Mikey met up with April in the evening to go shopping. He was wearing Sunita's brooch so he would catch less people's eyes even if he took off a hat or hood.
"This store has pretty good clothing in terms of quality, but it's a bit more expensive. It's the stuff I wear when I go out with you guys, and so far nothings torn or ripped unless it's an actual fight."
"So I could wear this stuff when we patrol."
"Yep!"
Mikey smiled incredibly wide in a way that only Mikey could. Despite the brooch disguising him his smile was the exact same. "Let's go then! COWABUNGA!"
Mikey and April went around the women's section picking out some ideas for outfits. Mikey practically skipped into the changeroom, but came out with a look on his face 5 or so minutes later. "You know how I said suits sometimes feel icky? All these clothes are making me feel the same way now."
"That's no problem! Let's go out again and see what calls to you."
This time when they searched they went into all sections and picked mostly masculine or androgynous clothes.
"Now this feels right!" Mikey exclaimed upon trying on one of the new outfits they picked out. "But why don't the skirts feel right anymore?"
"Maybe it's just not a skirt day for you." April kept her voice neutral. "Do you want to buy anything today or try again another day."
"Another day. I have enough masculine clothes, and I don't want to buy clothes that are icky."
"Alright. Let's go back to my place then."
April placed their pile of clothes into the 'to be washed bin' before dragging Mikey back to her apartment.
"Do you want to talk about feelings or play a game?" April didn't want to push Mikey into being uncomfortable.
"Feelings?"
"Alright! I'll make hot chocolate." When April had the cups set out and the milk heating up on the stove she turned most of her attention to Mikey. "So what's on your mind Mikey?"
"I'm just confused. How can I love wearing dresses one day and hate them so much another?" He took a breath. " I thought maybe I was trans or something but even after I tried on the dresses with you and loved being girly I hated the idea of someone using she/her pronouns."
"Hmm… I don't want to push you into a box, or make you think you have to be a certain way, but have you heard of being gender fluid?"
Mikey shook his head.
"So essentially there are a few parts that make up someone's 'gender'. The actual gender, pronouns, and presentation. You can be like Donnie, and be non-binary but like presenting masculine, or be the opposite, have a stable gender and have gender presentation or pronouns be different." April paused to make sure Mikey understood. When the box turtle nodded she continued. "When someone is gender fluid, one or more parts of their gender changes over time. they can be a boy one day, and a girl the next."
"Or like wearing dresses one day, and liking suits the next!" Mikey stood up as a lightbulb went off above his head.
April poured the hot milk into their mugs and stirred. "I can't say what you are, but I would look into it, and yourself."
"I will!" Mikey hugged April, "thank-you so much! Can you help me out while I figure this all out?"
"Of course!" April put her hands on Mikey's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Donnie might know more about gender than I am though."
"I don't want to tell them yet though… I want to be sure of myself first."
"Alright. You tell them when you're ready, and in the meantime I'll help you out the best I can."
"Thank you April!"
"No problem bro."
A few months later Mikey called his family over to a table where he planned to tell them with April at his side. "I called you here today for a big announcement! I'm gender fluid. Kinda. I am male, and my pronouns are still he/him, but my gender presentation likes to shift. I wanted to let you know so you don't get confused when I start presenting fem around the lair, because dysphoria sucks and gender euphoria is great!" He talked quickly and practically bounced to the ceiling as he spoke, meaning his family needed a few seconds to process.
"Finally someone who isn't cis." Donnie half joked.
"And this means we have another member of the family who is queer, or genderqueer!"
"Did you already know about this April?" Raph asked from his corner of the table.
"Yep!"
"She's been helping me figure out my gender, and expand my collection of clothing. Speaking of… my brain demands a bow-tie."
"You didn't tell us?" Mikey heard Donnie yell as he left the kitchen. He put on an orange bowtie and looked into the mirror before smiling.
A few years passed before Raph came out. All his brothers and even his sister came out, he did research. He needed to know how to support his family best, and how to be the best brother he could. At first it was simple definitions, and then it was longer definitions. Eventually it was stories from people in the LGBTQ community and advice on how to be an ally.
One day during Ralph's research he came across a post talking about pronouns, and the pronoun dressing room. That day Raph learned what neo pronouns were and how to use them. He humored himself by putting his own name in before trying a few neo pronouns, just to confirm he didn't like them. When he in fact did not enjoy neo pronouns for himself he left the site.
A year has passed since Mikey came out, and it was now a normal sight to see him wander through the lair in different kinds of fashion. They were slowly getting used to the idea of Leo being the leader, and things were good for the turtles. Raph enjoyed the fact he wasn't always the first person the team looked to for a plan now, but it didn't change the fact he constantly had to fix Leo's mistakes.
8 months later again and the krang show up alongside Casey. They were a week into recovery when they got Casey to open up more about the future. Casey talked about how he was a trans guy, and was lucky his mom's and his senseis were all LGBTQ because he was accepted immediately. Apparently future Donnie had experience with manufacturing hormones for her, and puberty suppressants. Casey didn't get to the age he could start hrt before Donnie died, but he had enough puberty suppressants to last him for another month.
"Oh I never got to be super close with Master Raphael, but she- he was my biggest ally, and helped me navigate the 'trans experience'." Casey went on and nobody really seemed to notice the slip up, but Raphael did, and he suddenly had questions.
Raphael had a hard time suppressing the smile he got when Casey mistakenly said 'she'. He just let 'she' loop around in his head and make him feel happier and happier.
He went back to his research, but this time for him. He wasn't trans, because he didn't experience dysphoria like Mikey or even despite how rare it was Donnie. If he was trans he would hate the fact he was tall, and handsome, and the way he was always the big 'brother'. He remembered the pronoun dressing room and decided he was going to prove to himself he wasn't trans.
"Hello! Today I met a girl who goes by Raphael. She has a wonderful personality. That smile of hers really makes me happy. I could talk to her all day although she doesn't talk about herself much. I wonder if her day has been wonderful. I hope so!" (Pronoun dressing room :http://www.pronouns.failedslacker.com/#pronounSelect)
Raphael almost started crying when he read it. It made him so happy to read it, despite not being a trans girl.
The next week he kept going back to the site. It was bookmarked on his phone, and every single time he read through the different stories he would be so happy. He also kept browsing through trans communities to learn how to help Casey.
He came across a post. "People need to stop saying dysphoria makes someone trans. It's euphoria that makes someone trans. Normalise trans people without dysphoria."
He read the replies only to be shocked by the amount of people who agreed with the post. Someone even mentioned how long they denied being trans because they didn't have dysphoria.
Am I trans? The question rang through his head, and for the first time he- she? She didn't ignore it.
She/her pronouns, and being called a girl make me happy. I guess I do experience gender euphoria. He suddenly realized there was someone she could just ask.
She found him the next day alone. "Hey Casey! Raph has a question."
"Sure ma- Raphael. What's going on?"
"Is Raph a trans girl in the future?"
Casey blankly stared for a moment. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"Raph isn't mad. Just happy to not be wrong."
"Are you going to tell anyone?"
"Not yet. Maybe Mikey and Donnie first?"
"Sounds like a plan."
A month down the line Raph had the confidence she needed to tell someone. She found Mikey and Donnie and pulled them into her train car.
"Raph is a girl."
Donnie and Mikey went wide eyed and needed a moment to let this information sink in before they reacted.
"One of us?" Mikey started hesitantly.
"One of us." Donnie joined in.
The two chanted for a moment before calming down again and letting Raph explain herself.
"Raph wants to use she/her pronouns and be referred to as a girl, and your sister. Can you help figure out presentation?"
"Of course sis!" Mikey got up and hugged his sister. "Can I grab something really quick?"
Raph nodded and watched Mikey run out the door.
"I don't do a lot aboutmy gender presentation, but I'm happy you told me. I don't want to cause unnecessary dysphoria for you."
"Raph gets no dysphoria… but she does get lots of euphoria, so she is trans according to the internet and Casey."
"I'm baaack!" Mikey announced with a tiara in his hand. "I don't have any clothes that would fit you, but I do have this tiara that would look great on you!" Mikey wasted no time and just placed the tiara on Raph's head.
Raph looked in the mirror and saw herself light up. She had to shake her hands a bit so her excitement wouldn't overwhelm her. She did start crying though and as soon as she knew she wouldn't hurt her brothers she hugged Mikey and air hugged Donnie. "Thankyou! You are the best!"
"Do you want us to use a different name?"
"Raphael, and Raph are good."
She spent the rest of the day with her two genderqueer brothers figuring out her gender presentation.
2 months later Raph got the confidence to tell the rest of her family. Or have Mikey, Donnie and Casey tell her family because her throat locked up the 3 times she had tried so far.
"We have a big announcement!" Mikey started before just saying it. "We have a sister and her name is Raphael!" Mikey dramatically pointed to Raph.
Before anyone could understand the words Mikey had said Casey finished. "She uses she/her and would like to use feminine terms. She is also a girl."
"My daughter." Splinter got up and ran over to his daughter. "Thank you for telling us."
"Now Leo and Donnie get to fight over being the oldest brother, since Raph is now the oldest sister." She joked.
"Wouldn't I be the oldest sister?" April replied.
"That's right!" Leo barked. "You're no longer able to claim the oldest at all. You are the youngest sister!" Leo was on the ground laughing.
"I think I'm the oldest, because only a child would laugh that hard at facts." Donnie said plainly.
"Hey!" Leo paused for a moment. "Wait! Doesn't this mean dad is the only cis-het?"
Everyone was laughing now.
"I'm not though." Splinter interrupted, "I'm bisexual. Didn't I tell you that years ago?"
"Ummm. No." Leo stared at his father.
"I thought I did!"
"Wait!" April jumped up. "This means nobody here is a cis-het. Everyone is gay!"
"Next pride is going to be so awesome!" Mikey called out and everyone agreed.
Everyone was happy to be themselves, and happy for the family they had too.