
Pronouns are a part of gender expression and are tied to gender, but they do not directly dictate it. A man can go by she/her pronouns and still be a man, a woman can go by he/him pronouns and still be a woman, a non binary person can go by he/him and not necessarily be any type of man. I personally don’t go by it/its pronouns, but from my perspective it’s simply their preference and to ignore that is blatantly disrespectful. It doesn’t matter if I understand it or not
I think the that’s not what they really are argument is a slippery slope when ppl say the same to trans people but you’re not wrong in this case. Gender can be a spectrum and a social construct but if you truly feel like an object.. objects don’t do anything or have thoughts. It’s not the same thing.
That’s a fair perspective to come at it from, but there’s a difference between calling someone “it” without knowing their pronouns and calling someone “it” because they specifically asked you to. One is explicitly malicious and hateful, the other is respecting how someone wishes to present themselves
I’d go along with it but still would feel uncomfortable about it; like I know this isn’t the same thing as identity please don’t get me wrong but just feelings wise, if I was dating someone who liked to be dehumanized and talked down to I would feel mean and uncomfortable doing that even if they asked for it and that was their thing