this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2024
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A nice thing is that I colloquially perceive her as a dragon and address her draconic identity. I would also correct others if she'd want me to.
I do not plan on refusing a reality that she has a human body simply out of being polite though. I would not address her personally as a human, I would address her draconic identity, and I would consider that identity when I think of her, but I would not ignore evidence that she does, in fact, have a human body, and by that reject reality.
Or should she go to the veterinarian if she gets sick? Should we expect her to fly us somewhere, or kindle a fire with her mouth? Trying to turn her draconic nature into the new reality goes against objectivity, and she'll fail at both.
In a similar manner, with all respect to nonbinaries, if they face any issues on the side of systems that differ based on sex, for example, they should address a doctor based on whatever of the two very binary states their bodies have (or, if they are intersex, whichever side troubles them). Going to someone else will not yield a positive result.
But that doesn't mean we should tell your friend that her feelings are not valid. They are. Her identity does not have to be the same as her current body, and that's alright, that happens. It often does cause some level of dysphoria, but we won't make it better by ignoring the identity she grew with, which would be to ignore who she is mentally - which, in turn, is of prime importance in any social interaction.
In other words, objectively, she is physically a human who considers herself to be a dragon. That is the reality that we can always check and explore. Then, we may build social constructs on top of that, including the framework for seeing her socially as a dragon (as social interactions are entirely a construct anyway), since that corresponds to her identity and allows us to better address her needs and better communicate with her. Alternatively, we can redefine the term "dragon" to mean "any creature with a draconic identity". That would work, too, but then we simply change the meanings of words, not the reality.
And before you accuse me of anything, I'm a genderfluid person, but I am aware my body is what's considered "male". I do have a penis, even when I feel like I belong to women - and I am, socially, and would love to be treated as one when I'm in that state. But I do not ask anyone to reject the fact that my body is typical of a male, as unfortunate as it may sometimes be.
All your doomsaying about the negative consequences of perceiving someone as they want to be perceived is bullshit. I perceive otherkin properly all the time and I can still deal with their body stuff effectively. You're trying to start a panic over nothing.
I'm not doomsaying about anything. I only say that we shouldn't reject that otherkin are physically people. You can treat them differently from a social perspective - as you probably should and as you do, but it doesn't erase that they are physically human.
And honestly, it's much less of a deal than you think it is. Society operates social categories, doctors and other people for whom it is important operate physical ones. The debate we currently have is really about defining those social categories.
You say you can effectively deal the otherkin's body stuff - you do it exactly because you know they are physically human, and any body stuff they may have is directly corresponding to human anatomy and physiology.
What you essentially try to defend is the social side of it, the perception I have of these people. You want them to be socially treated differently from human - and I don't mind that in a slightest.
I'm only saying you cannot impose a new physical reality in which bodies of otherkin are not human - they are human, that is alright and it doesn't mean otherkin should be socially treated as humans. Socially, they are not.
But in that we delve further and further from the objective reality we talked about, because the entire field of social interactions is a construct, too. A useful and great one, the one I have no intention to reject - but a construct, and since you deeply care about that, I'm gonna highlight it again.