Know your pronouns
Chartreuse Flamethrower (who sometimes comments here as Z2) has a really excellent post up about choosing your pronouns correctly. Here’s the crux of the issue:
Pronouns are a big deal for transgendered people. Calling a trans man (female to Male) ’she’ is at best misinformed and at worst purposefully hurtful and can be a very painful thing. Calling a non-binary ‘he’ or ’she’ is just as inaccurate, which brings up another problem- the English language isn’t equipped for gender neutrality.
They go on to discuss several options for more appropriate pronouns, and the pros and cons of each. It’s a very insightful and thorough post, while still being concise and understandable. The post title sums it up well in that it is both “an explanation and a request” (for respectful behavior), which is why I think it’s so important to pass this on to my readers — especially those of you who don’t usually encounter, and so probably don’t spend much time thinking about, gender identity issues. It’s definitely worth your time. What are you waiting for — read it!
Comments
Leave a Reply