There is never an excuse to not use someone’s preferred name and pronouns. Unless they’re closeted around some people and ask you not to, there is literally no good reason to not just refer to them how they want to be. No one is being protected when you intentionally misgender a trans person, or when you insist on using a deadname— even if you “don’t agree” with the existence of trans people, or think that gender identity shouldn’t be treated the way it is in whatever way. You’re not standing up for yourself and you’re not standing up for others— you’re just being an asshole.
If your friend’s legal name was Katherine, and she told you “please don’t call me Katherine, I have negative associations with that name, call me Kathy instead,” then would you still insist on calling her Katherine because you don’t think it makes sense to use another name, even though you know it causes her significant emotional distress?
Intentionally deadnaming and misgendering someone because “it doesn’t make sense” or “you don’t agree” makes you just as much of an asshole as that. Changing the language you use to refer to someone hurts no one and helps them immensely. Intentionally misgendering someone just makes you look like an asshole and, quite frankly, stupid as well.
If you want to have an actual debate about the ethics of trans healthcare or whatever, the least you can do is actually respect your opponents. Fundamentally, respect for one another is key to proper debating. But no, you don’t want a debate, you just want to beat people down.
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Finale - ultimatelife 2 knux (:
✧ gentleness action prompts | @ultimatelife ✧
✧ finale - muse a wraps themselves around muse b to keep them from harm ✧
How? How had they ended up in this situation? It was all one big blurr in the moment, everything had happened so fast — too fast. Far too fast for his liking in fact. Odd considering the company in the moment.
Fighting wasn’t anything new to him — being a guardian, a protector, a warrior. Some might even say a hero, though he never really saw himself in that light. There were others who more or less fit that bill better than himself. Least in his own opinion. He fought to protect those who couldn’t. He fought to make sure justice was served to those who dared harm others. He fought to defend those he loved.
Pushing, always pushing. Harder and harder. Nothing would stop him from fighting and protecting those he cared for or the planet they called home. Even at the risk of his own well-being, his own life. The echidna was not one to back down or out.
How — ?
It was unexpected, finding the transgenic hedgehog wrapped around him in the moment — protectively pulling him close in the moment. Using his entire body to shield him. Everything around them both seemed to slow down. Time almost seeming to stop in that moment. Knuckles unsure what to think of the turn of events that was happening.
Shadow — the Ultimate Lifeform. Was protecting him right now.
He knew the other was tough — he wasn’t called the Ultimate Lifeform for nothing after all. He could take a lot of abuse. Nothing could ever keep him down for long. It was...impressive at times what the other could survive.
“I-Idiot — !!”
“ — what t’hell were you thinkin’?!”
That didn’t mean he couldn’t be absolutely livid about the other putting himself in harm’s way. Especially for him. It wasn’t like Knuckles hadn’t taken worse hits before — his own body littered in plenty of scars that showed just that. Ultimate Lifeform or not. No way was he letting the red and black hedgehog put himself on the line like that.
The idea of Shadow hurt didn’t sit well with him at all. No matter how tough the other was.
Pulling just enough away from the other, hands reaching to cup either side of his face in the moment. Glaring at him in angry concern painted across his features. How many damn times did he have to tell him NOT to do that? Ugh, this guy sometimes.
“You ‘r such a dumbass sometimes, I swear — !!”
Scolding the hedgehog now, anger and concern clear from the echidna. He knew it would take more than that to harm or kill the other, he was no fool in that regard — that didn’t mean he could chastise Shadow for being dumb and self-sacrificing in the moment.
A long huff of annoyance. Forehead pressing against the other’s now in the moment.
“ — what am I goin’ t’do wit’ you?”
“...thanks. You really didn’t ‘ave t’do t’at though, you know.”
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talking about polyamory with my boyfriend is hard. Probably not because of any obvious reasons.
No, it's hard because my entire life I had to fight for relationships. I had to fight against people ticking me off as weird due to my autism. I had to fight against my anxiety making paralyzing me in new situations and missing the first few times my new classmates would socialize during breaks. I had to fight my disphoria, making me acutely aware that other people's perception of me is very different from how I see myself. I had to fighty depression, because my day has less hours, and everything takes more hours and I've stopped being a high energy kid at age 3, knowing nothing but lagging behind my whole life.
And these issues all compound! My Autism makes it hard for me to figure out when it's appropriate to ask other people to meet them! My Anxiety makes me a lot less likely to risk embarrassment, so I wait until first contacted or seeing clear signs! My depression makes it even less likely for me to meet people, since I can't manage having to fold the clothes or shop groceries if I'm meeting someone later that afternoon!
And my entire life, this has isolated me. People aren't best friends with someone that needs half an hour just to send a message. people aren't best friends with someone that needs a whole day or two as a break between days where only one activity is happening. they are less likely to invite you if they forget you're there and they're more likely to forget you're there if you have trouble speaking in group settings. The only reason me and my boyfriend could date so much was because I literally just went to his place. Even once I left home and lived on my own, we could see eachother only on the weekends, and that's because I basically just came over to have dinner, sleepover, and watch stuff most of the time.
The everyday tasks of life wear me thin. And even now that we life together, it certainly doesn't help that he just doesn't do some everyday tasks. He isn't used to a tidy living space, he has ADHD and all the executive dysfunction problems himself. But then when he still wants to do something exciting in the afternoon, but I'm still recharging from task 1, so that I can go to task 2, all while trying to figure out if task 3 can be done today.
And you know? I do think I could polyamory and have a great time. but I'm also so aware of all the hurdles I face in every relationship. People want to do stuff. And the more time you have for stuff, the more you become a part of their life. And my boyfriend and I are already nesting partners, but just living doesn't build the relationship. But I just don't want him to spend less quality time with me just because I can't do as much. I don't want to become the boring partner, the one he just lives with, the partner that he has to babysit when doing something new, the partner doesn't associate with fun
It's just, I can't even fall back on my family, the person closest to a best friend is too busy and social and anxious herself to have much time leftover for me. He is literally the only person in my corner, but if I can't keep up with his other people that's it. Even if I get other partners myself, unless I have incredible luck, I won't find a deep connection like this one so soon again. I have spent the first 20 years of my life living alone in a house full people, I don't think I could go through that again and come out alive
Because then the thing to look forward to was what comes after. Making my own life with someone I love. But now? there's a working Life in a bunch of months. but other than that? this is as far up as it'll go for whoever knows long
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