Another 'Am I dumb or is this broken?' question

Thanks, guys! Yes, I have lithium grease (and silicone spray).

Hmmm.. maybe I should pack those things. I used to carry a film container of lithium grease when bike touring.

I thought about asking my friend to plug and unplug them a few times, but I saw the look on her face when she saw me thinking it. She had to go through some pretty complex contortions to get them apart once.