Hints for the Cisgender

upon meeting a Trans* person

1)             Do not run screaming from the room.  This is rude.

2)             If you must back away, do it slowly and with discretion.

3)             Do not assume they are attracted to you or anyone of your sex.

4)             Do not assume they are not attracted to you or anyone of your sex.

5)             Do not expect them to be as excited at meeting a cisgender person as you may be about meeting a trans* person.

6)             Do not immediately start talking about your genitals to prove you are cisgender or asking about theirs.  Keep your mind out of their crotch.

7)             Do not ask them how they got that way.  Instead, ask yourself how you got the way you are.

8)             Do not assume they are dying to talk about being trans*

9)             Do not expect them to refrain from talking about being trans*

10)       Do not trivialize their experience by assuming this is a lifestyle choice only.  They are the sex/gender they say they are 24/7/365, not the one they were assigned at birth.

Cisgender: A person whose innate gender identity matches the sex/gender they were assigned at birth.

Transgender: A person whose innate gender identity does not match the one they were assigned at birth.