Alright, non straight and non cis here coming to you with an instigation.
Whether you are straight, queer, cis, non binary or none of the above, don't you dare apologise for asking me about my pronouns or sexuality. Do you realise how flattering it is that you don't assume I'm the gender I was assigned at birth? Yes we can all get tired of explaining sometimes, but trust me, I'll let you know and we can discuss it another day. Some people will ask me about it in a way that screams mocking or condescending and those people can get as far away from me as physically possible and it still won't be enough. But those of you who ask because you don't wanna assume, because you wanna learn, because you don't wanna misgender me or step over my boundaries, bless you! You are the people who will make this world better for all of us!
I have days when I am sick of the questions, when I feel like I have had to defend my gender, my sexuality, or my choices, and it might make you want to apologise or not ask at all, but please, keep asking when you are in doubt. Because only by sharing information about the lesser known genders and sexualities, can we get rid of the misinformation, the stereotypes and all the other [insert bad word of your choosing] that oppress us and hurts people like us all over the world. It is when we sit back and keep quiet instead of educating ourselves and those around us, that we stay in the status quo. We stay in a world where being anything other than cishet can get you excluded or worse. Much worse.
To everyone who has ever asked me about my pronouns or asked me for information on my experience with my sexuality or gender: Thank you! You likely made my day a little brighter and you took one little step towards it becoming general knowledge.
