A lot of times we are left with using words that if you are not trans, they have different meanings, even if the definitions do overlap, they still have different meanings for us.
The use of binary and non-binary (confusing to cisciety), female and male, all have different meanings to us.
There is confusion between different ways they can be used simply by the context they are written in...
I could probably list more words and terms, but it isn't necessary.
It's the context that is important.
The way we use words mean different things when you consider that society for the most part doesn't understand the context of them as trans people do.
There is a lot of trying to define just what is binary as opposed to non-binary and that idea, opposed, is a problem.
Not in the sense of one opposing the other, just the context of it.
There is a lot of overlap in how they are defined, simply by how they are used.
As trans, talking about or using the word female as an example, has a lot of undertones to it, much more descriptive meaning...
Same goes for a lot of how we use the language, it just isn't suited to the idea and doesn't always translate into trans very well.
The same thing goes for the way we talk as different designated groups, designated being key here...
They overlap as well, you can belong to several different groups at the same time, refer to several as if they are one.
It's in the context of what we are saying, how we say the words that come from a language that has really never let trans define the words we use.
The same thing then happens to the terms we use.
There seems to be a battle brewing on the horizon, yet it is nothing, not at all like some imagine it might be.
It's an illusion based on assumptions, made about the definitions and the context that our words we have borrowed, are used.
The transgender umbrella covers a lot of different people, it is and always will have disputes as to who is who in it...
The same thing goes for the different groups under it.
There is only a very fuzzy grey line that is always changing between who is non-binary and who is binary.
Stop worrying about just where that line is and how to define it. Isn't going to happen.
There is such diversity among trans people that even dividing them loosely into groups is hard to do.
We all have much more in common that we do as differences, it can't be stressed enough, it's true..
How much time is wasted on each others definitions and assumptions of where that line is and just what are the definitions?
Use common sense in making assumptions about what others have to say and do say.
There aren't finite definitions that we use, just ones that are loose in the ways we use those words and terms.
We borrowed them, they have a different meaning to them.
Even when used with respect and care, there are always going to be people who misunderstand what it is anyone is trying to say.
The definitions and meanings are in the context of how they are being used.
Nobody owns and has the definition, we all do and they are different depending on how they are used.
Words can hurt, but they also are our only way to communicate ideas worth pursuing...
Descriptive use of these words and terms are best understood by looking at the context they are being used in.
Don't scan though comments and look for words that trigger, look at the broader sense that they are being used for...
If something is said that is a trigger, if it is for most people in a conversation, then inquire about the descriptive way it is being used, the context.
Don't pretend that we don't talk in concepts about most things, we have to, the language is borrowed, the words we use.
Look at the context, read the context and if you don't understand it, ask questions.
Don't assume anything until it has been addressed as to how words are being used, the context of the concepts we talk in.
I don't care who said what, it all comes down to understanding what the context of any conversation is.
Don't assume that a comment is an answer to a question you never asked.
Don't make unfounded accusations and such if you don't understand the context, the way they are being used.
We get pretty creative in the way we use words, keep that in mind.
We each use them in slightly different ways depending on our own view of our world around us.
This isn't society talking here, it isn't cisciety talking here, it's trans and it suffers from language barriers.
Keep it in mind that we talk in concepts of what these words mean, the definitions are different...
They are often used in a descriptive way, even if the person using them has a defined used for them.
We read them in the descriptive ways we as individuals think of them and the diversity is huge.
Keep it in mind that what you think you are reading might mean a completely different thing for others.
None of us has a lock on any definition to the words we use and the way we use them.
It takes time and thought to figure it out sometimes, so do that.
Use some time to think about what is being said instead of assuming by reaction to any of it.
It really is a rare thing around here that someone will attack another person, but it is common that we think it has happened.
How to avoid upsetting non-binaries is an issue, but it is one that is inside of the bigger issue of how do we avoid upsetting anyone here.
More to the point is that we should be careful in how we use words, how the descriptive nature that we use them is always changing.
It's because the concepts change, they grow. Most conversations are about just that.
We don't talk in a way that is defined, we talk in a way that is descriptive. Concepts.
It's difficult enough to grasp some of the ideas, we don't need to be arguing about definitions that don't exist in our world views.
It's a conversation about the concepts and how they are always evolving, always changing.
They always have and always will, this is true everywhere, not just here.
In our own ways, the way trans people talk, we are very descriptive in the way we use words.
We have to, they are borrowed and we don't use a standard definition, we are descriptive by need, not by the choosing to do so.
To much energy is wasted in our conversations with arguing over definitions, when they were used in a descriptive way.
It's always going to be this way, descriptive, and we have a way of talking that defines that and that only.
It's our best tool for learning, otherwise we are just arguing without any real meaning to the arguments.
That's just complaining, not conversing, not learning.
Ativan
