Hi there, I've been really struggling to figure out how to respond to this. The last thing I want to do is offend anybody, but I'm trying to figure out where the reasonable line for taking offense lies.

I mean first of all, I think it's safe to say that the men who were complaining about Biden's pick (the subjects of that sentence) weren't trans men and would have no issue with that turn of phrase. So is it harmful if I use their biological reality to refer to them? If so, should I consider white men when referring to a group of black men or straight men when referring to a group of gay men?

Secondly, what would be an alternative that didnt risk offending anybody? "...because of their internal experience of their gender"? I'm honestly not trying to be sarcastic here, I just think the waters are so muddy that you'd be hard-pressed to refer to gender in a way that didn't upset anybody.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's important to think about how words will impact people. I do my best to be precise with regards to whatever I'm writing about. But is there ever a point where the person taking offence has a responsibilty to not center themselves in what is being said, whether or not it is directed at them? This isn't a rhetorical question, I'd be genuinely interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for offering your perspective. It gave me a lot to think about.