As someone who has met many, many, many, many, many (insert a thousand “many”s” here) lesbians, I believe I have that particular science down to a T: smile, introduce yourself, then repeat her name to yourself 20 times because you’re terrible with names and this is the only way you can make them stick. Basically, treat them like you would anyone else.
Apparently, the University of Wisconsin-Madison used to think otherwise. Back in 1988, the university’s women’s studies class had a handout titled “When You Meet a Lesbian: Hints for the Heterosexual Women.” The handout was recently unearthed by writer Jody Rosen and posted to Twitter.
Hints include such pro-tips as “Do not run from the room. This is rude,” and “If you must back away, do so slowly and with discretion.” Yes, if you see a lesbian, it is advised that you don’t escape by running through a wall, leaving nothing but a people-shaped hole.
Why you can trust Xtra
