By Matt KaileyOne of the most popular items on my blog is “Ten Things Not to Say to a Trans Person.” But I’m sure that non-trans people get tired of hearing what they can’t say. So, in the spirit of helpfulness, I present “Ten Things You CAN Say to a Trans Person”:
1. Good morning!
2. How was your weekend?
3. That outfit/shirt/tie looks great on you.
4. I am so tired of this heat/cold. I hope it rains/warms up pretty soon.
5. Have you seen the latest photo of my kid/dog/new house? Check it out!
6. Where are you from originally? Have you lived in this city long?
7. The traffic on the freeway is a nightmare today! Do you have to drive far to get here?
8. We’re all going across the street for lunch. Want to come?
9. I can’t believe summer/winter is almost over. Where does the time go?
10. Did you see that YouTube video about the snake that ate three baby goats?
Of course, you can adjust these to fit your purposes. And if you are close to this person, your conversations will obviously stray into less superficial aspects of life, such as art, politics, current events, their love life, your love life, Kim Kardashian’s love life, and so on. But use these as a guideline and you will never get yourself in hot water.
This post originally appeared on Matt Kailey's award-winning website Tranifesto.com. Republished with permission.
