I'm having a tough time with something right now, and it's not something I ever wanted to have a tough time with. I have a very, very close friend who I've known for years and he recently gender-transitioned. We were in different states for a couple years when he first started the transition, and now I'm actually living with him for 6 weeks.
I love him and support him in everything, but the transition isn't very easy for me. I try to use male pronouns and sometimes forget to (which he's ok with, he's very patient with me), or sometimes I'll avoid using pronouns all together. Even using male pronouns while writing this feels very... strange to me. I don't feel like I can use his female name anymore, even though that's how I know him, but he goes by nick names that don't mean anything to me with all his friends here. I'm trying different names to see how they feel, like his last name.
I want so bad to feel comfortable using the names and pronouns he prefers, but it's very difficult for me.
Has anyone else had a close friend who transitioned? Does anyone have any advice?
I love him and support him in everything, but the transition isn't very easy for me. I try to use male pronouns and sometimes forget to (which he's ok with, he's very patient with me), or sometimes I'll avoid using pronouns all together. Even using male pronouns while writing this feels very... strange to me. I don't feel like I can use his female name anymore, even though that's how I know him, but he goes by nick names that don't mean anything to me with all his friends here. I'm trying different names to see how they feel, like his last name.
I want so bad to feel comfortable using the names and pronouns he prefers, but it's very difficult for me.
Has anyone else had a close friend who transitioned? Does anyone have any advice?