1) I’m trans, my dad is a white supremacist, guess how we get along? There are no unique human stories. We try to connect on the things that we have in common.

2) I tried stuff until I found something that worked. What finally helped my dad and I open a communication around where we differ is my connecting over our shared humanity and the things we can both appreciate.

I have taken this methodology and tried applying it to a wide range of people and I am able to connect with anyone who isn’t already on guard. It generally pays off to just try to connect over shared human experiences. I have tried a lot of ways to relate to a lot of people and it seems to pay dividends most consistently. I have not experienced every possible interaction in humanity, so I’m probably wrong, but it works in my local area of the universe.