We've all heard the "joke." We know how it goes. Someone comes out as transgender, demigender, agender, bigender, genderfluid, genderflux, non-binary, genderqueer, etc, and cisgender people respond with: "Well, my gender is an attack he|icopter!" Then they laugh and laugh, ignoring the hurt looks on the person's face. If they do notice, they say: "Come on. It was just a joke! Stop being so sensitive." But it's not a joke. It's an offensive, transphobic comment that should not be used. When you say that your gender is an attack helic0pter, what you really mean is this: "Your problems don't matter. Stop making a big deal out of it. Why can't you just choose to be male or female? If you get to choose a 'new' gender, then so do I!" But worst of all, they also mean this: "Your gender. Does. Not. Matter." And it really, really hurts us. You are causing more hate and transphobia just by saying this phrase. We already deal with enough of it, why do you have to create more? Cis people who say this disrespect all the pain we've been through. Have they ever dealt with gender dysphoria? No. Have they ever been kicked out of their house, just for being who they are? No. Have they ever been the victim of a fatal hate crime? I mean maybe because of race, but, if they understand what it's like, why do it to us? (If that sounded racist, it was not intended, and I'm sorry.) So stop saying that our gender doesn't matter. Stop saying that our problems don't matter. Stop saying that we don't matter. Please stop making this "joke." Thank you.
