In an incredible display of just kind of saying stuff, 52-year-old liberal Isaac Shawn has announced that focusing on “trans issues” alienates the working class from the Democratic party, though he does not personally know a trans person, a working-class person, or anyone at the intersection of thes
That’s definitely been a thing for me personally.
I’m as boring vanilla straight as you can get. But I’ve worked with a fair few colleagues over the years who were gay, as well as the odd lesbian. They were always great to talk with; very liberating so to speak.
They didn’t tend to have the same hangups or reservations that most cis/het people tend to have. I definitely noticed that I was more relaxed around them. It also tended to open up new ways of thinking and different, interesting perspectives.
Our company tends to be quite welcoming; we also have a fair few colleagues with autism for example. I always like meeting people with interesting and unique personalities.
It might sound weird, but that’s also why I’m hoping to get a trans/NB coworker eventually. Trans people tend to be relatively rare where I am, and it sounds fascinating to talk to them about their perspective on certain topics. I bet that would lead to some interesting insights. It’s a shame not everyone is open to that.
Doesn’t sound weird at all! It’s a commendable thing to want diverse perspectives around you and to be aware of the gaps that exist in your community.
I would say that a lot of trans people are open to polite questions, but it can be emotionally difficult to bear the load of educating people while also experiencing the stigma and abandonment that can come with the experience, especially right when coming out. Even good faith questions can feel like being asked the bad faith ones if there’s fresh pain there. A boundary that’s worked for me personally is to say ask me anything, but it has to be OK if I don’t want to answer it, or if I answer it in gory detail.
Tbh I enjoy talking about this stuff so if you have any specific curiosities feel free to ask! But otherwise I do hope you find some folks to connect with in your environment - and even if they’re hiding, putting out the right energy will make them come to you 😁