Firstly, someone (in this case Rudy) who has lived in an all LGBTQ apartment complex for years has had plenty of experience dealing with pronoun preferences and personal gender identity. So, there is definitely no comprehension problem in that regard.

In my defense, although yes, I was trying to articulate my point of view, I was doing so, not by pontificating or arguing from a rigid, “I’m right/you’re wrong” position, but by asking questions i hoped might open his mind to another way of looking at things.
Not expecting him to change his mind, but hoping he might at least acknowledge that other points of view had some validity.

Sadly, he was not the least bit amenable to considering any alternative perspective or to considering the possibility that his position was in any way flawed.

Lastly, being a previously closeted man with three marriages to women and a child from each marriage in my history, you and I have some life experiences in common. Peace. ✌️