Missgendering, Distancing, Sabotage, Passive Aggressive People
As a transgender woman, I face a lot of challenges that cis men and cis women take for granted, or flat out abuse. In this post I want to talk about four forms of toxic behavior I deal with, why they're damaging, and why they need to be recognized. Edit: I want to add here that as a transgender woman I forgive and look past much. Yet, there are times when you can't. Writing about the failings of myself and others helps me in some therapeutic way and I hope helps you too. Please read on with this in mind Misgendering First is misgendering. I run into this from time to time. Last night I was at New Seasons. I'd gotten my food and was checking out when the register malfunctioned — the receipt mechanism popped out and paper went everywhere. An older woman waiting nearby leaned in and said, warmly, "Oh, it's been doing that all day. It's not your fault." That was kind. She didn't have to say anything. She saw a stranger standing in a small mess and decided...