Thanks for speaking up about trans issues. Some cisgender people might feel more comfortable engaging with other cis people about these issues; plus, you know what things cis people tend to misunderstand, so you can address those points directly. I always have to ask a cis friend whether my “trans 101″ pieces are understandable from their viewpoint.

I’ve found it more difficult with someone presenting androgynously, and sometimes the chosen name doesn’t give anything away either. Luckily gender doesn’t make a big difference in my language when you speak to someone, but once you speak of someone, you need a pronoun (like in English). In such an encounter in the past I’ve hesitated and waited for clues from the conversation. It wasn’t really productive. On the other hand, if someone deliberately transcends gender binaries in their appearance, some hesitation and confusion on the other’s part is probably expected and doesn’t appear too rude. Thanks for the blog (I’ve been reading for a while, *delurk*) and for reposting the article. Next time I meet someone whose preferred pronoun I can’t figure out from the introduction, I’ll take your advice and ask.