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Pro tip: like you would anybody else! LOL
People get so awkward and trip all over themselves just because I have a name and pronouns. I don’t put any pressure on them; if they get it right, I’m delighted (90% of the time this only involves… reading). If not, I keep my disappointment tucked away inside.
But people will get all mixed up or overthink it on their own. Their reaction makes me feel like I’m guilty of something when they get so flustered. They really don’t need to apologize if making an honest mistake. I’m not going to fly off the rails over it. I struggle with remembering names, myself.
Idk does anyone else experience this? Had a medical appointment today, and she was like “Miss… Mr… Miss X.” Or she had been using the right name all morning, but got confused at one point rapidly alternating between my legal and chosen names.
I don’t worry too much about that when meeting new people. The thing I’m afraid of is misgendering people I’ve known for a very long time. I want very much to use the correct name and pronoun but the ones I’ve known them by for the past decade or whatever sometimes slip past the filter.
Edit: and since these are longstanding relationships, I’m more concerned with their feelings than I would be a stranger.