Ignorance: a state of being uniformed 

Hate: to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest 

Suffix Meanings:
-Ist: One who follows a principal or system of belief 

Phobia: an abnormal intense and irrational fear of a given situation, organism, or object 

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One can be ignorant to gay people and not be homophobic. 
One can be ignorant to different cultures and races’ struggles and not be racist. 
One can be ignorant to gender variant people and not be transphobic. 
One can be ignorant to sexes’ and not be sexist. 
One can be ignorant to the Holocaust and not be Nazi. 

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The list can go on and on and on… 

The point is that anyone can be ignorant without being hateful (or a “hater”) and anyone can be ignorant without having a phobia towards a certain group of people. 

Instead of attacking others or harassing others based on their beliefs we must educate them in a helpful way, by being positive and kind. 

All of the time people ask me questions or make statements, relating to being trans (FTM), that can be considered “ignorant.” Questions/Statements like: 

- Do you have a penis? 
- Do you have both a penis and vagina? 
- Does this make your girlfriend a lesbian?
- What size is your bra size? 
- What was your original name, you know, your real name?
- Have you had surgery? Are you going to have the surgery?
- Which bathroom do you use?
- So how will you have sex?
- How will you reproduce?
- If you walked like this ____ you would pass better. 
- Your ____ makes you look like a girl. 
- That’s not your real name. 
- I don’t get it, does that mean you are still really a girl? 
- So does that make you a lesbian?

At first I thought that all of these questions and statements were personal attacks on being transgender. Most of the time they aren’t. Most of the time people are just ignorant and uneducated. After years of being out I recognized that people will ask questions like these because they are curious and want to learn. I learned that people make these statements just because they don’t know better. Instead of automatically hating someone or bitching at someone educate them:

1. Nicely and calmly, tell them why their question or statement was inappropriate or why it made you feel comfortable. 
2. If you are open enough to answer their question and feel comfortable enough to do so then do so but do not answer the question if you do not want to. You do not have to answer or respond to these ignorant statements. 
3. Be respectful towards the people asking the questions and they will most likely show you respect back.
4. Educate people. The only way people will learn and stop asking ignorant questions or making ignorant statements is through education. Knowledge is power. 
5. If you do not want to directly educate them then said them some online resources! 

www.ryancassata.tumblr.com @ROCassataMusic

1. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you go?
2. Favorite way of listening to music? Vinyl? CD? Tape? MP3? 
3. If you could play any instrument which instrument would you want to play? 
4. If you could play a role in any past feature film which movie/role would you pick?
5. What is your favorite school subject? 
6. What is your favorite sport? 
7. Are you currently crushing on someone? 
8. Who is your celebrity crush? 
9. Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? 
10. What’s your favorite genre of music?