• mike:
• mike came out as ftm to will first (naturally) when he was in 5th grade
• will had kinda seen this coming? not that it was something he really thought about, but he could see that, as he got older, mike was seeming more and more uncomfortable with his feminine-developing body
• they were in the basement one day and mike just kinda blurted it out
• and will was like
• “…”
• “okay”
• and that night, will helped mike cut his hair
• much to the horror of karen, who didn’t know why mike and will would do that
• it clicked years later when mike came out to her
• mike gradually came out to the rest of the party, who were all supportive
• then he came out to his family (nancy first, then mom, then dad) and came out publicly when he was about 16
• dustin took it upon himself to be mike’s personal bodyguard basically
• so did max
• the two of them pretty much formed the Mike Protection Club
• el was super supportive as well, and she loved learning about the science behind being trans
• she was the one who used the facts to silence the transphobes
• and she always texted mike to make sure he had taken off his binder every night
• lucas took mike to the gym to do some weight training together because mike really wanted to build up some muscle
• that was mike’s favorite Boy Bonding Time
• and when mike and will finally got together, will would always call mike handsome and tell everyone to “look at his perfect boyfriend”, which gave mike butterflies but also a total boost of confidence
• also, when he joined hellfire, he was super nervous that he would feel like he didn’t fit in
• but it turns out. eddie is also trans
• and he became mike’s trans big brother!!
• gave him all the tips and advice and made mike feel super comfy in the group
• whenever he’s dysphoric, will always cuddles with him and lets him borrow a hoodie and kisses his face and whispers to him about how lovely he is
• overall, trans mike is v supported <3
• will:
• jonathan was 110% the first person will came out to, when will was about 14
• jonathan was surprised, but super honored that will had told him first
• he picked up extra shifts at his job so he could afford will’s first binder :(
• best birthday present ever in will’s opinion, he cried
• joyce was the next person he came out to
• and she was just overwhelmingly supportive, made sure he knew he was loved
• she set up meetings with all his teachers at school to make sure that they knew and would respect him 
• (even though will told her he could handle it on his own, she just went right into protective mom mode)
• will came out publicly when he was 15, and he came out to all his friends at once
• not that he didn’t want to tell them individually, or tell them beforehand, but he just wanted to get it all over with at once
• all of them gave him SO much support, and sent him super encouraging paragraphs and had one-on-one heart to hearts with him
• max and el took him shopping to get a new wardrobe
• hopper went along and helped will with all the sizing issues
• and he made sure that the employees were gendering him correctly
• he’d go around loudly saying things like “how do these feel, SON?”
• it was a little embarrassing but really sweet
• dustin’s kneejerk reaction was to tell will all the reasons he thought spiderman was trans
• which honestly? will totally agreed with
• (he went as spiderman for halloween that year after hearing dustin’s theories)
• lucas decided to give will. “swagger lessons”
• which basically was just lucas giving will cheesy pick-up lines
• but will took advantage of this and asked lucas to help him with mannerisms and things he wanted to pick up on, and lucas was completely helpful with that
• lucas also reassured will when he came out as gay that being gay didn’t make him any less of a man, because will felt so much like he was a straight girl just pretending
• but after lucas’s killer pep talks? there was no doubt in will’s mind that he was valid
• mike went over to will’s house the second will had texted them all with his coming out message
• he just tackled him in a hug and cuddled him tight and told him how proud he was of him :)
• will always felt real and validated and protected around his friends and family <3
• lucas:
• having always grown up rejecting stereotypical feminine things, everyone always thought lucas was a tomboy
• and lucas thought that too, until he heard the term “transgender” and thought about it
• erica was the first one he came out to, when he was 12
• erica was kinda little at this point
• lucas was just playing with her and he casually said that he thought he might be her brother and not her sister
• and erica just responded saying that she was glad, because now she could get girls days alone with their mom
• but really, erica was so so supportive of her brother, and she loves him so much
• lucas came out to the party when he was 13, then to all of his friends at 14, then to his parents and publicly at 15
• lucas’s parents were beyond supportive
• they immediately signed him up on the boys sports teams
• will signed up for these sports with lucas
• will’s good at sports, and even though they’re not his favorite pastime, he needed to make sure everyone was treating his bestie right
• he and mike dressed as luke and han for halloween
• lucas had ALWAYS wanted to dress as han but was too anxious to dress as a male character
• dressing as the two of them was actually mike’s idea, and hearing him suggest that just made lucas bubble over with joy
• but dressing up as han made him feel so confident
• and max was hanging off of lucas’s shoulder telling him just how handsome he looked
• max is queen of compliments and the founder of the lucas fan club btw
• any time someone so much as throws a questionable look at lucas, el is exploding something in their face
• because nobody looks at lucas that way who tf do they think they are?
• dustin’s reaction was probably the best though
• when lucas came out, dustin just said “sick, you can come in my clubhouse now since it’s boys only!”
• like oh my god such a validating feeling for lucas??
• also lucas is proud as fuck of his physical glow-up when he goes on t
• he just gets infinitely more confident in his appearance and in his expression
• when he’s a senior, he wins senior superlative for “best glow-up”
• everyone is always just. flaunting after him
• but his heart belongs to max <3
• and max doesn’t let anyone forget that bc she is so lucky wtf he chose her!!
• trans lucas is handsome, confident, loved, and just. perfection
• chef’s kiss
• dustin:
• so we know eddie is trans as well, and having an older trans role model means the WORLD to dustin
• seeing an older trans person was just life-changing for dustin
• dustin wasn’t out when he met eddie, but he had known that he was trans for a little while at that point
• he came out to the party (mike, lucas, and will) when he was about 13, then met eddie, and then came out publicly around 15
• eddie really helps him become comfortable with himself and showed dustin just how much he could live authentically and happily
• eddie just treats dustin like a little brother and like “one of the guys”, but also treats him like a son lmao
• “did you take a binding break yet?” “did anyone bother you today?” “ugh, i know, shark week is the worst. it takes a badass guy to be able to handle it, though.”
• also steve?
• so supportive. so dad.
• immediately teaches dustin how to mow a lawn, telling him that he needs to “pick up the slack” as the “man of the house”
• which just felt super validating for dustin to hear
• he liked getting to learn that stereotypical masculine stuff, it just made him feel so happy and validated
• will and jonathan take dustin out for a boys day
• which consists of just anything that gives dustin gender euphoria
• for him, that meant going hiking, fishing, and camping at a state park he had always adored
• byers brothers best brothers
• and the byers sister is the best sister
• bc el didn’t let dustin take anyone’s shit
• neither did max
• el and max teamed up and they helped dustin start a gsa at school
• with the girls there to boost his confidence, dustin actually forms a presentation for teachers on how to respect trans students
• the presentation is used for years to come
• dustin was always capable of this, but he just needed a bit of a push
• lucas helps dustin with his style
• dustin’s clothing didn’t change much, but he just wanted a little bit of help on becoming more outwardly masculine to match how he felt on the inside
• which lucas definitely was able to help him with
• whenever dustin gets dysphoric, mike comes over with nerf guns and he and dustin have a nerf battle either around dustin’s house, mike’s house, someone else’s house, or literally just out and about in the hawkins suburbs
• dustin’s mom gets him a new bike for his birthday bc his other one felt too girly for him :( <3
• in conclusion, trans dustin my beloved
• el:
• el didn’t really know that being trans was an option
• to be honest, she didn’t understand much about the concept of gender growing up, until she escaped brenner and learned more about it
• when she realized how she was being perceived, she knew that it wasn’t right
• el didn’t even know that what she was feeling was her being trans, but max explained the concept to her when el told her how she was feeling
• so i guess you could say el came out to max first, when she was about 16
• she then came out to hopper, then joyce, then jonathan, then will, then the rest of the party
• she was fully out publicly when she was about 17
• el was always stuck with will and jonathan’s hand-me-downs, but max gave her a TON of her old clothes so she felt more comfortable and like herself 
• not that el disliked wearing her brothers’ clothes by any means, but max’s just felt so validating
• max also helped el with some makeup when she started wanting to wear it
• and she started doing el’s hair when it grew out longer
• nancy was also a HUGE help to el throughout this whole process
• completely took this kid under her wing as her little sister
• taught her all about how to be confident and independent and proud of her womanhood
• max and nancy really worked hand-in-hand here
• lucas and dustin were just wonderful with her
• whenever el got a new outfit or had a new look that she was confident in, they would call everyone over to have a mini fashion show for her
• they’d commentate and hype her up, just showing off el and how happy she was
• no one had ever seen el smile as much as she did when she tried her first dress on
• when el came out to show them all, mike couldn’t stop staring and saying “pretty” (platonically, of course, but wow, she was STUNNING)
• will helped el upcycle some of his hand-me-downs as well, so she felt more comfortable in them
• he also took her to his lgbtq+ support group for teens that he attended after coming out as gay
• she found so many trans friends there and it was just so therapeutic knowing that she wasn’t alone :)
• also joyce and hopper go to parent support group meetings as well
• and hopper keeps calling himself transparent
• the joke makes el roll her eyes every time she hears it, but secretly, she loves it
• overall, el is very supported, would recommend her support system to a friend
• max:
• max had always known that something was “off” or “different” about her when she was little
• she liked doing masculine things, but didn’t like being perceived as a masculine person
• after a lot of soul-searching, max came out
• fist to lucas, then to everyone else, all in the span of a week when she was 17
• she worried that it was “too late” for her to come out but the second she let that thought leave her mouth, will had shut it down and told her that it’s never too late to be herself 
• which is v v true. so true will. SO true.
• mike is max’s number one protector
• he insisted on walking her to every single one of her classes personally, even when it was way out of his way
• his glares at max’s haters could shoot daggers
• and his words DID shoot daggers
• dustin gets pronoun pins for everyone in the party when max comes out
• they all wear them proudly
• and whenever someone misgendered max, he’d just clear his throat and gesture to her pin
• will had max over for a number of self care nights after she came out
• joyce was thrilled about this and did everything in her power to make max feel pampered and like the strong woman she was
• max unfortunately dealt with a decent amount of bullying after coming out
• but after el heard about this?
• let’s just say no one ever bothered max again
• not if they valued their teeth, that is
• max was always worried that maybe she was faking it because she didn’t mind dressing or doing traditionally masculine stuff, but el and lucas helped her break down those barriers in her mind
• and she was able to accept that she can express herself however she wants and that won’t invalidate her gender
• lucas makes sure that max knows that he sees her EXACTLY as who she is. and he really, truly means that
• he always calls her beautiful and tells her that he’s the luckiest guy in the world to have such an amazing girlfriend
• mans is just constantly showering her in compliments
• and through the dysphoria and discomfort with her body, max starts to believe him and gains confidence in herself and in her expression
• miss max mayfield is just so valid and we love her so much

‘Stop.’ Will forced out, shaking his head in disbelief, hurt painting his features ‘Mike, that’s not funny. It’s mean.’ He thought he was joking. Mike was throwing his bleeding heart onto his floor, and he thought it was some sort of a prank. Fuck. ‘You really think I would joke about it?’ his voice sounded like it came from far away, weak and broken. His hand twitched, yearning to touch Will, to take his hand, to brush his fingertips against his warm skin for just one second even if that was all he could ever get.