I too would love to vote for AOC, which is precisely why her endorsement matters to me.

I trust her judgment enough to want to elect her, so I also trust her judgment that the best path forward right now is to support Harris.

That’s great, and it’s nice that you don’t have to deal with that jolt of dysphoria in those situations.

I’m simply saying that it’s also common (and okay) to not be entirely comfortable with those terms. Especially from strangers or acquaintances.

I don’t think seeking to reduce the linguistic pattern of male as the default is a misguided effort.

“Offended” is a bit of a strong word.

Many trans folks are, understandably, bummed out when gendered terms that refer to their AGAB are used to refer to them.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to avoid causing that brief moment of dysphoria. That just feels like a thoughtful and kind thing to do.