loling abt my coworker today warning me to Prepare Myself for people's reactions to my transness when the program year kicks up at work, like "people will have the reactions they have" and me looking her square in the face like "i am aware of how people react, yes," like emma i am trans every minute of my life, i am intimately acquainted with the reality of that, thank you. and i know she thinks she's being nice, but the thing is it hits the increasingly frequent button of the Trans Man Infantilization like i am an uwu little baby to be sheltered. meanwhile i smiled through her misgendering me not 10 minutes before that and referring to our cis male coworker as "the only man in this building" and someone coming into my office and shaking my hand in front of her while asking "and what's your name young lady," like. please sugar. do not mistake my pleasantness for naivete. do not mistake my smile for softness.