Tucker Lieberman
1 min readMar 28, 2023

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Yes — realistically, most people do have physical preferences re: sex and their partners' bodies. Talking about those prefs doesn't only reveal information about ourselves -- it can also imply something negative about others, and in this regard we should make an effort to be respectful and caring. This is particularly true when a group is routinely insulted, mocked as unattractive, discredited as not-real, threatened, living with risk of violence, can't get healthcare, etc. If someone doesn't want to date a person of X body type, fine, but there's no need for them to loudly explain their preference to everyone who walks through the door of the tavern, especially if spreading their opinions about people of X body type is likely to contribute to stigma against that group. Saying "I'd rather not date my neighbor" is one thing, and tacking on "...because they're not really their gender" is another. Privately thinking "they're not really their gender" is problematic enough, and going around the neighborhood saying so is another level of bad. Someone can be uninterested in dating "X type of person" while at the same time being open-hearted enough to hope the person finds their match and has a happy life. We shouldn't contribute to a culture of shame. We can avoid defining ourselves by who we don't date.

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Tucker Lieberman
Tucker Lieberman

Written by Tucker Lieberman

Cult classic. Author of the novel "Most Famous Short Film of All Time." Editor for Prism & Pen and Identity Current. tuckerlieberman.com

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