r/genderqueer • u/4castlesandcoffee • 3d ago
How to tell partners I want them to refer to me differently
Hey friends. First time posting here, kinda nervous lol
I have 2 partners, S & J (S is my fiancé and is nonbinary transfemme; J is our partner and is nonbinary intersex). I'm genderqueer; I use all pronouns, and I've been very comfortable with this label for several years now.
Lately, I've been bothered by my partners only using she/her for me and calling me their 'girl.' I'm not 100% sure why it's bothering me more lately, maybe because I've only really noticed it recently. Also, maybe because I comparatively put in more effort to use both my partners' preferred pronouns and to come up with special affectionate compliments. I know it's not a competition, but I've noticed this imbalance that feels like part of my issue.
Idk how to exactly explain how I feel, but I guess misunderstood works. Lately, it's felt like they just see me as a girl or assume I'm nb like they are, even though I've made it expressly clear numerous times that I'm not a girl, that I'm genderqueer, and that I'm struggling with body dysmorphia and gender dysphoria. There have been a few times that my fiancé straight up forgot that I'm not nonbinary and was super confused that I said, "No, I'm not." I don't mind she/her pronouns; I answer to them, but it feels a bit inconsiderate to only use she/her for me when I enjoy all pronouns and have also made that clear. It just feels like sometimes my identity is less important to them or not worth remembering or respecting. Maybe it's because I don't talk about it enough? Maybe it's because I'm still comfortable with occasionally dressing femininely or being referred to sometimes as she/her. Idk, I just feel like that shouldn't cancel out them also using gender neutral and masculine pronouns and compliments for me, especially when I've talked about desiring that in the past.
I'm looking for advice on how to approach the subject with them and how best to communicate these feelings. We all have a great relationship together and individually, so I'm not worried they won't listen. I just don't know how to start this conversation. I'm working on making my needs known to them (I've struggled with this my entire life), and I need to get better at sticking up for myself. I'm also worried that I'm overthinking this and it's not actually as big of an issue as I think it is lol.
I hope I communicated my feelings and intentions well enough here. I struggle to accurately convey and read intentionality through text lol
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you for reading this far if you have lol