I was in the same boat. I cracked when puberty hit(so about the turn of the millennium). I knew that trans people were a thing, but I had little to no exposure to them outside of fucking Ace Ventura. I didn't feel safe in approaching anyone about it, so I had to sit there and let it fester for years. I dedicated most of my 20s to becoming financially independent, but I just as I was gearing up to come out after I left the military, Trump got elected. That freaked me out so bad that I went back in the closet until late 2021. I will always lament what could have been had I been allowed to transition at age 13 instead of 33.