Ask Matt 2-in-1: Using Previous Pronouns and Thyroid Health on T
http://tranifesto.com/2013/06/17/ask-matt-2-in-1-using-previous-pronouns-and-thyroid-health-on-t/ (http://tranifesto.com/2013/06/17/ask-matt-2-in-1-using-previous-pronouns-and-thyroid-health-on-t/)
6/17/13
Matt Kailey
I have two letters with relatively short answers (for me!), so even though they're not related, I put them together into one post. And here we have them:
A reader writes: "I'm a queer cis femme, and I have a number of close friends who, over the past few years, have come out as trans (FtM). I consider myself a strong ally, and I have had no problem adjusting to their preferred names or pronouns, but there is one issue that I am unsure about.
"In many cases, these friends and I share mutual friends and/or acquaintances who may or may not know of a trans friend's past. When telling stories about various adventures or experiences with a trans friend who, at the time, did not identify as trans, which pronoun should I use?
"I don't want to accidentally 'out' them to people who don't know (or don't need to know) the whole story, but I also want to stay true to my friend and true to the story. If we did something together – let's say, went camping – then should I say, 'She and I went camping last summer' or 'He and I went camping last summer'?"