Friend balks at concept of gender fluidity
almost children DEAR everyare ABBY: adults.day.is for everythinga supportingI transgenderShe’s haveOne anof a there longtimethem awesomeher male.is children,is to gay;I know friend friend. respectthe learning aboutother I Her hersee the social The LGBT change conflict communityon lies their in behalf.the and fact seeking that my feelings religiousare at beliefsodds with and the personalnotion of gender fluidity. I think the concept is nuts. I have compassion, however, for people who suffer with their identity in any form. I also believe in equal rights.
I don’t want to lose an important friend. I want her PHONYto feel supported, but the truth is, I don’t believe in these ideas or this cause. — FEELING LIKE A
Would DEAR you “PHONY”:feel the same way about a friend who is divorced, if your religion didn’t sanction it?
I’ll bet you wouldn’t. The same is true for this longtime friend.
Gender fluidity may be a new concept for you, but it is very real. If you feel like a hypocrite faking indignation during some of these conversations, why not use them as an opportunity to be educated? Listen. Ask questions. Say, “I don’t know enough about this, but because I love you, I need to learn more about it.”
You can be a trans ally without becoming an activist. PFLAG has a user-friendly resource, “Guide To Being a Trans Ally,” that you may find interesting and helpful. Find it at pflag.org/guidetobeingatransally.
To read more Dear Abby online, go to times freepress.com/news/life.