[Migrantjusticedocumentary] On not getting my pronouns right

[Otto]

Hey buds,

So I've noticed that people aren't getting my pronouns right. To be honest, I'm not super upset about hearing people occasionally get it wrong. Obviously not ideal but if its followed by a "sorry, I meant they" I really don't have a problem with it. 

But I'm fucking pissed at this point that people have been getting my pronouns wrong kind of consistently for the past like, what- 11 months? To be honest I have no idea because obviously y'all hear people talking about me in the third person way more than me. But 11 months? That probably means that the people who have been getting it wrong haven't been aware of their misgendering of me, that no one has been making them aware of it, and probably that they haven't been trying to fix the problem. 

Which is also what makes it hard for me to call it out- I don't hear people talk about me except like every two months and in the moment I'm so taken aback and hurt that this is still happening and that this is silently continuing with the likely full knowledge of the people involved that I don't immediately know what to do. 

So I'm writing you an email. My pronouns are they or he in English and he in languages that don't have gender neutral pronouns. This is really important to me, and since it touches on my self determination as a trans person, I'm pretty certain it should be important to you too. If you don't think this should automatically be included in our basis of unity or our politics or whatever you think of it as, I really really really want you to examine your politics and maybe  read this article. 

http://tranarchism.com/2010/11/26/not-your-moms-trans-101/

If you are considering writing me an apology please don't because I would truly prefer if you used that energy to get my pronouns right and correct people when they misgender me.  

Thanks a bunch,

Otto.