Originally Posted by Aries Walker
Welcome to 2014, guys.
I know, it takes some getting used to, but it happens, and it will happen more and more as time goes on. I now have four friends who are transgendered, whether in identification or physically: three male-to-female, and one female who now identifies male.
It's never not a surprise when you hear the news. Once they make the decision (which is a huge decision, opening themselves up to all sorts of discrimination and scorn), you should call them by the gender term they want ('she', in Ally's case), and yes, they use the bathroom they want. It's tough to get used to, but it gets easier once you get used to it.
And no, giving them a hug won't make you gay. No, they're not aliens or untouchables, and this is already going to be a lot harder on them than it is on you, so they don't need your shit. In my experience, the best thing you can do is to treat them just the same as you always did; since in Stewie's case, that's a work relationship, it shouldn't be any trouble at all. It's unsettling and kind of weird at first, but the only time it should be really long-term tough is if you're one of those people who sees people solely in terms of sex, in which case the problem is you.
My big concern would be if a teenager were to do it, as a phase, because even without the surgery, it would be practically impossible to undo if they later grow out of it. So far, everyone I know who has done it has been late-20's or older, so there's that.
Oh, also, I've noticed that transgendered people often tend to choose new-sounding, exotic, and vaguely Celtic sounding names like Caelyn and Aisling as their new monikers, and they're always a big pain in the ass to spell. Such is life.
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