Some Cardinal Rules, Revisited

I'm not a sucker. I am not a pawn for an ego trip, nor am I a porcelain doll to be sat upon a shelf and admired. I am not stagnant, I am not typical, and I am not too demanding.

But I do demand respect. I do demand that I be treated like the person I am -- and the more you understand that person, the more I demand you respect me. I will not be shouted at, I will not be belittled, I will not be made to look small so you can impress your friends, I will not be objectified, I will not be forced to be uncomfortable, I will not be told to turn my conscience off, I will not be bodily dragged into the kitchen to cook meals, I will not be called crazy, I will certainly not be made to feel crazy other than by my own hand or the hand of God, and I will not let you talk, even in jest, of physically harming me, ever.

I will be loved, though. That, I welcome.