Subject: Re: Happy Pride Month!
But surely you would acknowledge that a friendly conversation has boundaries, beyond which it stops being friendly. If you were to start using racial slurs, for example, I would have a serious problem with that. I'm Jewish - if you started using slurs that were derogatory towards Jewish people, I would obviously also have a serious problem with that as well.

Well of course, that's common sense. What matters is character, how you treat others regardless of Religion, skin color or ancestry. To turn the tables, does it matter to you I
am not Jewish?

Part of having a cordial conversation is staying within the bounds of civility and what you understand about the person you're talking to. Avoiding things that are grossly offensive to the other person.

Again, common sense

So if you're talking to a transwoman, but keep on calling them by male pronouns even after being politely reminded that doing so is offensive to them, you're no longer engaging in a friendly conversation. You're being deliberately offensive towards them. That's certainly out of place in any kind of professional context (a workplace or other place of business), and most people would regard that as being out of place in friendly social settings.

If I am engaged in a conversation with a transwomen or transman, actually, I can't imagine referring to them as he, she. I would be using their first name, or if they prefer Miss name, Mrs name and Mr name, same as a nontran person would prefer.

Of course. But there's a huge gap between cultural differences in vocabulary on neutral matters (saying "soda" vs. "pop") and deliberately using terminology that the other person correctly views as denigrating and insulting. I don't imagine that your conversations with the Amish include you deliberately using language that diminishes the sincerity of their faith, or questions the validity of their cultural or religious choices? Right?

Right, of course, Common courtesy and respect always prevails.

So why the lecture? Perhaps you might have notice I have mentioned a number of times here and at TMF I was born and raised in NYC, Harlem, my neighborhood. NYC, the world's melting pot. You name the religion, skin color and ancestry, they were my schoolmates, churchmates and best of all my playmates and friends.

I have lived through many years of slurs, derogatory remarks at TMF and now starting here by the left (who already outnumber the other side here) because I consider myself a Conservative. I am not a democrat, not a republican. I do not belong to any political party.
So perhaps your lecture should extend to the left leaning here how to converse with others who have a different point of view.

Meanwhile, I will continue on my merry way just as I did at TMF.