Avoiding Misgendering

WisCon offers pronoun-preference stickers for our member name-badges. (Their use is completely optional.) I spent the long WisCon42 weekend in a space where physical appearance was disconnected from gender assumptions. One of the many things I love about the con is we dress exactly as our fancy takes us, from PJs to three-piece suits to tutus to ballgowns to geek fatigues¹.

Protip: Don’t assume gender. Pause when someone raises their hand: many years of gender essentialism are imprinted in the lizard brain. Instead, refer to items displayed on the body², for example “The person in the yellow shirt” or “You, with the flashy fingernails.”

( I share my experience of misgendering someone in hopes of educating other cis people )