today is the misgendering day apparently and it’s insane that i (we) have to just. take it at work. because that’s what is polite and professional. and i’m not allowed to go into my coworker’s office and say “what will it take for you to start gendering me correctly” and i’m not allowed to respond to students and say “please be mindful of the clearly stated pronouns and honorifics in my signature” and before you say “you’re allowed to say those things!” no i’m not. i promise i am not.
the argument i often get is “people don’t know that it bothers you if you don’t correct them” and i don’t know how to make you understand how it feels to have to ask politely over and over again to be treated with the same respect that people unthinkingly grant to dogs.
I had a problem with someone misgendering me and using my deadname two years after I transitioned and he damn well knew it.
I tried to get some help. this resulted in my sitting through a 15 minute lecture from my boss about how it's normal for people to make that mistake and I just have to accept it and be patient.
then I got the exact same lecture from the director of hr.
I felt like a worm, small and wriggling and powerless. that was the moment I learned I have to let cis people step on me whenever they feel like it













