My question is if you’re willing to answer well-meant questions honestly and without judgement (ie without calling me a privileged asshole). Because you’re absolutely right, I don’t know what it’s like to be in your shoes. I was born female and I am comfortable in a feminine presentation. I came out as gay late and into a loving and accepting family, surrounded by good friends. In short: I don’t know what the FUCK I’m talking about and often worry about it. Of all the discriminatory language I work against on a daily basis, trans* language is the hardest to identify and nullify, simply because I’ve never been there and I don’t always know what I’m looking for. Some stuff (the recent SNL skit comes to mind) is really easy to identify but other things, especially anything I might accidentally do myself, is harder to point out.

And look. There’s a good chance that I don’t have the right to ask these questions, but if I can’t learn then I can’t help. My ignorance isn’t hate, it’s naiveté, though I don’t think that makes any ciscentrism I might stumble into less offensive ergo why I’m taking a deep breath and asking. The thing is that I don’t know any better, but I’d like to. I’m trying to combat it - not just my own but that of the media - but I can’t do it without a little education. 

So here’s what I’m asking for, I think. I want to put out a call. Send me news, blog, and magazine articles and tell me what parts of them are ciscentric and offensive. Tell me how you think they could be better. I can add that information to my arsenal and make an educated, rather than blind, attempt to change my own language and that of others.

Submitted by soeffinhappy