They are fundamentally unsafe for me. In 99% of the cases, their life experience has neither taught nor prepared them for respectful or meaningful interaction with trans* people (I’m leaving the 1% to cis bi, lesbian and gay people, who sometimes do have that knowledge). Instead, society has taught them to alienate us and treat us in a variety of oppressive ways.

I cannot have a conversation with a cis person (and even less so with a cishet person) without constantly having to deal with microaggression. This means that when interacting with cis people, I either have to constantly and consciously cede my own opinions and experiences just to be able to go on talking (the proverbial “nod and smile”); or constantly correct and explain things to them, which creates constant conflict. In either case, the interaction is harmful for me.

In the great majority of cases, cis people cannot understand my life, my thoughts, my feelings and my experiences, and cannot even maintain a simple conversation with me without putting me in a state of distress.

This is why I don’t like them.