Why do straight men and women talk to trans and queer people like they have no home training or common sense? I understand being curious and/or not knowing much about the LGBTQ+ community and the influx of labels but that’s not an excuse to ask gross and invasive questions.
Some questions are okay to ask if asked appropriately, others shouldn’t be asked at all. Inquiring about pronouns is okay. Everyone has pronouns, cisgender and trans alike. If you’re asking with intent to respectfully address the person, that’s great! If you’re asking with intent to INVALIDATE and MISGENDER them then no, you’re terrible, that’s harassment, and you’re likely a queerphobe.
I think it goes without say that asking about their genitals is just as gross and fucking weird because why are you questioning a stranger about their reproductive parts? It’s literally none of your business and you wouldn’t like it if someone asked you something that made YOU uncomfortable. It’s about respect which a lot of straight people don’t seem to have for queer folk. Respect aside, it’s also about common sense.
Ignorance plays a part in this because not every straight person is maliciously asking invasive questions, they just don’t know any better. However backtracking, it should be common sense not to ask people things like, “Do you have a penis or a vagina?” just because someone labels themselves as “non-binary”, “queer” or “trans.”
This is why LGBTQ+ education is important. There’s nothing political about it, it’s just knowledge on a demographic of people who’ve been around since the BEGINNING of time. The ONLY people I’ve seen complain about queer people and the community are extreme right wingers who are more likely than not racist, Republican, Trump supporters and pro-lifers.
I wish LGBTQ studies were actually taught in schools. It wouldn’t have to be mandatory but optional for people who DO want to educate themselves on how to properly interact with the community.
