One of my friend's siblings is transgender and now identifies as a male. My friend still calls her sibling her "sister" and uses female pronouns and it actually offends me because I respect my trans* friend and he has gone through A LOT of tough times. How should I tell her to use the proper pronouns and help her understand more about who he is? - Anonymous
This can be a tough situation. On one hand you want everyone to accept your friend for who he is and that might mean worldwide education shouted from the rooftops! But on the other hand, you may be dealing with parents who do not want to “expose” their children to Trans* issues, or who want to educate their children themselves, etc.
My advice is to check in with your friend on the situation. Ask him how he feels about his sister’s pronoun usage and go from there. If it really bothers him, ask what you can do to help (without enraging parental figures). Maybe (in an ideal world) your friend will sit down with you and his sister and talk it out.
But no matter what happens, everyone will adjust to your friend’s transition sooner or later. People have to go at their own pace. Meanwhile, your advocacy for and support of your friend is not going unnoticed. Keep being that rock. Every little bit helps.
LGBTQ* Terms and Definitions
Transgender V. Transsexual - As defined by different organizations, dictionaries and websites
(Graph from Northwestern University’s Medical Department)
Vice President Joe Biden became the highest-ranking official in the Obama administration to signal support for same-sex marriage on Sunday during an interview with “Meet The Press.”
Crying like a proud parent.
(part three) with them, rather than with her. everyone says that i cant drag it out that much longer, but its only been a month and shes the first girl that ive liked so its all very confusing for me. however, i also dont want to tell her that i dont want to date her, because its like sometimes i do and sometimes i dont, and if i decide that i really do i don't want to have already burned that bridge. thank you for listening to me :P any advice will help, thanks! - Anonymous
If you are unsure whether you want to date her, my advice is not to date her. Sooner than later you’re going to meet someone that you absolutely, 1,000% would LOVE to date, and that’s when you get into a relationship. As for your friendship, it’s best to be honest as soon as possible. Don’t lead her on—just tell her you’d rather be friends because you’re not all the way into it and you want to see if more feelings develop or not.
So, I was reading through my comments the other day when I came across one that really disturbed me…This girl is really pretty. NO HOMO. I know what you’re thinking “It’s 2012 who still says that”. I thought the same thing too. But for those of you who don’t know. No Homo is a qualifier that is used to assure your present company that you are not in fact a homosexual. Because this phrase makes my skin crawl. I decided to make up a few qualifiers of my own and with your help I hope that I can make these really popular in 2012. - Chescaleigh
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