My conservative boomer uncle and I were talking about nonbinary people recently and it's obvious he doesn't understand it.
I'm not nb, I'm not even really out and I have a lot of passing privilege so my family can assume I'm just an ally.
Allyship is important though.
So I made a hypothetical question to my uncle: what if it were me? What if I didn't like being gendered in a traditional way and I asked you to call me they/them?
He said, "I would try."
People are more willing to change that we sometimes give them credit for. Allyship is often about making it personal. For my uncle, I believe he needed to think about it in terms of someone he loves, not in the scope of media or politics.
Give people a chance. Love is bigger than hate and stubbornness (people who know me understand it takes a lot for me to say that).
Love Wins
Love wins because it's playing a long game. Love wins because it is patient and kind, not boastful nor rude, not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love forgives. Forgive yourself too, for thinking people in your life couldn't change. Love wins because it has hope for a better future. One where homophobia can be eradicated.
