You might or not know transgender people in your life. Bigger chances are there is someone who is transgender people and that person is a friend of your friend. Do you know how to address them and how to talk to them without being rude and disrespect? This is the reason why I write this article. Here are several things you should keep in mind if you meet transgender people in real life.
Use the name they approve. For transgender people, hearing their birth name might bring them anxiety and pain. Therefore, remember to address them with the name they feel comfortable with. Do not share their birth name or old photos with anyone if you know any. This information needs to be hidden unless they allow you to share them. Find the real hookup sites.
Use the right pronouns. If you don’t know which pronouns to use, listen carefully or just ask. They might prefer to be referred to he or she or some other words. If they think they are non-binary, you can just use they. This word can never be wrong. Do not make random assumption if you are not sure you are right. Being addressed with the wrong pronouns means they are not recognized. Being recognized is all they want. Therefore, using the right pronouns is of paramount importance.
Be careful with the compliments. It’s nice to pay compliments and nice to hear them. I know you mean well. However, for transgender people, some compliments are not as sweet as you think. For example, you look just like a real woman. I never know you were a man before. Amazing! What a wonderful job you did in turning yourself to a woman. These words might be the sweetest thing you can think of, but they can be damaging as a knife, because people who pay these compliments don’t even realize the lethality of them. Saying these words means you know nothing about them and you don’t approve their gender identity, because you don’t know the fact that they are women/men from the day they were born. It is their body that is wrong.
Do not reveal their identity without their consent. You may have not realize, but coming out as a transgender person can be very dangerous to them due to the intolerance of the society. You might put them at risk if you reveal this information to other people. You cannot know who is transphobia from the appearance and the world is not very friendly to them for the time being. When, where and how they want to come out is their decision to make. If you are entrusted with this secret, you should keep them only to yourself, because coming out can be a terrifying experience.
Many people do not know transgender people very well. Although they are still faced with tremendous challenges, they have done great contribution in turning out society to a more inclusive and various one. What we can do is to educate ourselves and be a good ally. Don't call them shemales.