Inappropriate Responses, when people Interact with non-binary people
Discussions (Serious & Trans in the Media) 0 replies 0 likes 0 votes 3 viewsI believe that there are several types of inappropriate responses, when people Interact with non-binary people:
One
People just get Gender wrong because, the hard-wired biological processes that do an automatic "is it Male or Female" check, during the first few milliseconds of seeing or hearing you kick in and get it wrong!
This is then followed by a brain, that probably has no interest in the "non binary" quickly making another poor guess, while trying to backtrack using “traditional” but dated binary gender norms as their reference
Two
People get it wrong because, although they have some knowledge about non-binary identities and may even be supportive, they still struggle with correct terminology and pronoun usage, they probably also worried about getting it wrong.
Three
People that habitual used incorrect names / terminology, who have been using “old” terms for many years and now find it challenging to change their habits.
Their mistakes are often unintentional and stem from habit rather than lack of understanding. to break.
I feel that the first Three responses are done more or less accidentally, without any intended malice and are likely reduce as society become more familiar with the non-binary world via:-Educational initiatives to raise awareness about non-binary identities.
Encouragement of curiosity and openness to learning about diverse gender experiences.
Environments where questions are welcomed and mistakes are used as learning opportunities.
Four the difficult one
people who get it wrong because they are trying to antagonise, who hold negative biases against non-binary identities (& other groups) and are intentionally using incorrect terminology and pronouns.
Their actions are often rooted in prejudice, ignorance, as well as being made uncomfortable when interacting with non-binary identities.
This lot are coming from a "fixed" view point and will always be difficult to change or even educate, because they have no desire for it.
That's my 4 for starters