Similar vibes to when my game loads too fast to read loading screen tips.
How the vast majority of Linux desktop installs work is that you:
A. Download ISO file from distro website
B. Flash ISO onto removable flash drive. This basically installs the os onto your flash drive.
C. Restart your computer with removable flash drive plugged in and boot into the flash drive.
D. You will now be experiencing the OS, while it is installed on the flash drive. This is the live version they are talking about. You can do everything here that you can on the actual install that we will do in the next few steps. The only problem is that you are limited by the size and speed of the flash drive/USB port. Play around and make sure your hardware doesn't have any issues with the distro's packages.
E. On the live version, you will have an app to install the OS. This will usually auto pop up when you boot into the flash drive. Follow the steps on that app to copy your install onto your actual hard drive (HDD/SSD).
F. You can restart, remove the flash drive, and boot into your new installation.
My distro recommendations are Linux mint and Debian.
If you don't mind me asking, when were you in high school?
I was in high school in the late 2010s, in a red county in a red state, and there were a few openly queer ppl in my grade who were never bullied throughout high school.
I think it was because allies outnumbered the homophobes/transphobes and bullies only punch down, not up.