Apologies, a CIS.

I am a CIS white male, which instantly makes me feel like the enemy in uncharted waters. I am pro LGBT. My mother is a lesbian and I was raised by both her and her fiancee. I attend Pride annually. I have LGBT friends. My first ever long term girlfriend is now lesbian. I am not speaking on this subject from a completely ignorant point of perspective.

I appreciate that people who identify as transgender are often socially ostracised or harassed with invasive and overly personal questions when it comes to their choices, preferences and physical attributes. I wish to extend a branch, and apologise for every time the naive ignorance of a CIS has offended. I find CIS are always at a disadvantage now where these types of dialogue are concerned, similarly to discussions on feminism; the whole: if you aren't "one of us" then you're "one of them" philosophy and mentality.

Speaking personally, I find trans a very intriguing demographic; primarily since it's still largely in it's infancy in terms of social acceptance and awareness. CIS do not intend to overreach with their questions or their seemingly invasive "prying"; they are just bewildered by a concept that is alien to them. It's never the intention to make trans uncomfortable, or to invade their personal space. It's simply because the whole notion of transness seems so unrelatable. CIS seek a point of reference, a definitive common element of what motivates transition. And this is usually the part where CIS overstep and offend.

I see similarities in how religions are questioned, and how race and culture are challenged, how back when it was still deemed "taboo", homosexuality was dissected by the masses. It's not a wish to humiliate, belittle or offend anybody. It really is just people digging beneath the surface in a bid to better understand something that is new to them. Something that defies the social norms and convention they've been spoonfed their entire life.

CIS do not want to be the enemy; the connotations of being "CIS" already carry an ugly association with ignorance. CIS and the LGBT community need to stop differentiating and begin to transition into identifying as one and the same. As long as there are explicit divisions in terminology and demographics, with invisible lines drawn between us, then we will never be able to coexist in harmony and happiness.