I came out as trans to my uncle, and he wrote the loveliest response:
“Thank you for coming out to us! It is a joyful occasion to share being yourself with your family. The consciousness that resides in each of us is without gender, but gender and bodies are trappings that we put on, and it is important that you are comfortable in them. Much like a decent pair of pants.”
This is so beautiful and profound and then…..that last line.
Your friendly local hick (me) was giving a work presentation to a class that had some audience participation.
A suburban white boy answering a question stumbled through a statement where he was clearly trying to find a polite replacement for “hick” or “redneck” and I s2g this kid said “yeehaw folk.”
I wrote that shit up on the board and said, “I am, in fact, a yeehaw folk,” as my coworker just lost his shit laughing.
this is right up there with the person who couldn’t decide whether to use sir or ma’am to address to address someone and ended up saying captain
hot take: ‘chivalry’ is fine as long as it’s adapted to 21st century values. if you are a male, you SHOULD be aware that your female friends face certain issues that you as a male dont. acting on that awareness in a way that keeps your female friends safe, isn’t a bad thing.
like… opening doors isn’t rly chivalrous when it’s just a thing you ought to do for everyone. but real 21st century chivalry might be, like, standing between your female friend and the guy that’s trying to get her drunk, or offering to walk her home when it’s late.
if the ‘chivalry’ inconveniences everyone involved and you’re just doing it for your over-inflated male ego — ie, “no you’re the girl here, you HAVE to let me hold this door for you and do all these things for you even when you can do it yourself and im just slowing you down” — then it’s just outdated misogyny.
Solutions Without Problems 