• four@lemmy.zipEnglish
    47·
    10 days ago

    Even though I’m in a hetero relationship, sometimes I use “partner” just to keep people on their toes. And to keep some privacy as well

    • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de
      11·
      10 days ago

      I work and live in an extremely backwards area, so I love talking about all my partners. I usually see how deep I can get into them before dropping the “he’s” to send them reeling, and then mention how we generally love getting off to see our loved ones at the end of work. It’s actually interesting to me that pretty much every job I’ve ever worked has been a job that we work in pairs, which means I’ve got plenty of stories of ‘partners’ to share.

  • slothropEnglish
    39·
    10 days ago

    I didn’t get it, so I asked my partner and they theysplained it to me.

  • crank0271@lemmy.worldEnglish
    37·
    10 days ago

    My wife and I often refer / have referred to the other as partner for two reasons: 1. boyfriend / girlfriend sounds a little juvenile, and 2. for the same reason that cis people put their pronouns in their signature / profile or whatever: it normalizes it and doesn’t let people draw any further conclusions about our relationship beyond that there is someone to whom we are in some way committed.

    • Fushuan [he/him]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      51·
      9 days ago

      I always prefer partner to boy/girl friend. Pre engagement it’s the most serious/mature term you can use and it’s more typical to use that term in my language.

      Also privacy. In fact I use they/them usually to refer to my partner and they aren’t necessarily nb. It’s just more private.

  • horse@feddit.org
    304·
    9 days ago

    Partner just sounds much nicer imo. It doesn’t infantilise like “girlfriend” does (she’s a woman, not a girl) and emphasises that we are equal partners working as a team in life.

    Nowadays I just call her “wife” though 🙂

    • white_nrdy@programming.dev
      12·
      9 days ago

      I’m in the exact same boat. I’ve always preferred “partner” over “girlfriend” / “boyfriend” since I think it’s a better description, because they are my life partner. I also use it because if I’m talking to random strangers (like on the internet), they don’t need to know my situation. I also like it because it hopefully makes the term more widespread / removes some of the stigma, since maybe people won’t assume the person is LGBTQ (or just won’t care) given I’m cis+straight.

      But I too will be switching to “wife” tomorrow

  • Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz
    24·
    10 days ago

    I use “partner” and “they” sometimes when out and about alone. Most people don’t notice and assume (correctly) that we’re a straight couple. But those that don’t are the ones that give much better customer service and are generally nicer.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    20·
    10 days ago

    I’ve been saying partner for at least five years. I’ll casually drop her gender once in a while to remove any mystery for people who don’t know me very well who might be curious. It really doesn’t matter, but I do it just so they don’t wonder about it because I remember when that mattered to me when I was younger and stupider.

    But a big part of it is also that we’re semi old and calling her my gf sounds kinda silly. We’re adults and we’re middle-aged. I might just start calling her my spouse, who knows.

    But you’re free to assume I suck dick. Doesn’t bother me if you think that. Plenty of my friends suck dick on all sides of gender.

    • AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      11·
      9 days ago

      I either say, “my wiiiife” in a borat tone, or “partner”.

      Also wtf is wrong with partner? People get weirdly bent. We decide life shit together and do life shit together. Sounds partnery to me.

      • morbidcactus
        5·
        9 days ago

        I’ve used partner for years partly because we’ve been common law for like near a decade now and even if we were officially married, it’s still a partnership. I’ve never had an issue personally.

  • krooklochurm
    133·
    9 days ago

    I try to just use gender neutral language in general because it’s more equitable.

    I’m also not attracted to men. At all. The opposite in fact. And very secure in that. Ive also learned that I present in such a way that nobody, gay or straight, has any fucking idea what my sexual orientation is.

    I also don’t identify as anything, because it’s nobody’s fucking business who I choose to fuck unless we’re fucking.

    Long story short I’ve had conversations with more than one gay man where you can practically see their head exploding trying to figure out what the fuck is talking to them.

    I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it hillarious.

  • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
    7·
    9 days ago

    As a polyamorous pansexual, it just works better. It covers all genders, and it keeps me from having to explain my relationship situation during casual anecdotes.

    I find it interesting that “partner” has become a catch-all term in the last decade or so. It seems to coincide with the rise of the popularity of polyamory, which makes me wonder how much the lifestyle has prompted the use of the term.