Carebears Advice Column #1

September 28, 2022
Question: – How do I let people know to use all pronouns when referring to me? For the longest time now everyone has been using SHE to refer to me although I have said multiple times before that I use all pronouns (with a preference of he/they), but even after I say that all they do is ignore me and use she/her. The only other option is to tell everyone that I only use he/they but then I’m just disregarding my own pronouns!? It’s so confusing.
Answer -It’s always going to be hard to get people to recognize your pronouns and remember them. Some people might never get it right. The only thing you can do is stand your ground, don’t just brush it off and make sure they know. Remind them when you see fit. Eventually, the people who really care will work hard and finally get it, but everyone makes mistakes so don’t take it too personally, they probably don’t mean it. Sorry about that, hopefully, they will get it eventually!
Question: – How do you tell your friend you don’t want to be friends anymore?
Answer: It’s really hard to decide to end a friendship. My general rule is if someone continues to make you feel bad, then maybe the person isn’t a real friend. I’m not what has happened in your friendship, but make sure you aren’t reacting to a single situation, but truly doing what is best for you. Remember, you need to be a friend as well and forgiveness is part of being a good friend. If you still don’t want to be friends anymore, just start to distance yourself from them and try to hang out with other people more. Don’t tell them that you don’t want to be friends anymore, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. Good luck!