Gender Confusion.
(NOTE: Based on time elapsed since the posting of this entry, the BS-o-meter calculates this is 8.442% likely to be something that Ferrett now regrets.)
So my sweetie Fox is non-binary – they do not identify as “he” or “she,” but rather “they.” So it shouldn’t be surprising that they hang out with other non-binaries, which occasionally causes confusion for this dense cis-dude.
And we were having a conversation about Fox’s sweetie Jim*, and I said something like, “He must have been happy.”
“They,” Fox corrected me.
“Hmm?”
“They. Like me.”
“Well, of course they like you!” I protested. “They’re dating you, aren’t they?”
Amazingly enough, Fox is still dating me, despite my periodic obliviousness.
* – Names changed to protect the people who didn’t ask to be in this essay.
Oh, I needed that. I laughed so hard it hurt (but only a little).
They obviously find that endearing.
-Alex
>Fox is still dating me, despite my periodic obliviousness.
Despite? Or because? 😉
Oh, and I just sent you my beta-read of your “Madness” story.
When I first saw the word “sweetie”, I thought “That’s an odd word to use there”
Then I thought about it some more
To call Fox either your Boyfriend or your Girlfriend would be to define their gender, to refuse to accept their self-identity, to attempt to deny them a right for which they’ve fought hard (a right for which they still have to fight. Despite some successes that right is more threatened now than it has been in recent years)
To call Fox either your Boyfriend or your Girlfriend would be to lose them as your sweetie
Besides, I’ve met Fox briefly. They really are a sweetie 😉