hi there! I keep coming back to this post, and my intrigue increases every time.
As a trans person, I know the importance of being assigned the correct pronouns, unless a person is gender-neutral and therefore chooses gender-neutral pronouns. However, I can really see the advantage of the way you refer to EVERYBODY in the same way. I understand you're treating everyone equally, and I think that's fantastic.
I would like to do the same, but I wouldn't want to offend anyone who likes the gendered pronouns. Especially trans people at the beginning of their transition. Personally, I think I've come to a point where I'd be happy with gender-neutral pronouns, but I know a year or so ago I would have felt threatened. But then I can't refer to everyone except for trans people with gender-neutral pronouns because then it would become obvious which of my friends are trans!
I think this is all a problem of our language. I know in other European languages the pronouns are sometimes gendered by the object rather than the subject, but even that is not ideal. In many of my posts I try to avoid pronouns altogether, but it becomes difficult after a while.
I would like to join your good work for rectifying this problem in the English language, but I don't want to offend anybody ...! I wonder what I should do? How has the whole thing worked out in your experience?
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-07 01:59 am (UTC)As a trans person, I know the importance of being assigned the correct pronouns, unless a person is gender-neutral and therefore chooses gender-neutral pronouns. However, I can really see the advantage of the way you refer to EVERYBODY in the same way. I understand you're treating everyone equally, and I think that's fantastic.
I would like to do the same, but I wouldn't want to offend anyone who likes the gendered pronouns. Especially trans people at the beginning of their transition. Personally, I think I've come to a point where I'd be happy with gender-neutral pronouns, but I know a year or so ago I would have felt threatened. But then I can't refer to everyone except for trans people with gender-neutral pronouns because then it would become obvious which of my friends are trans!
I think this is all a problem of our language. I know in other European languages the pronouns are sometimes gendered by the object rather than the subject, but even that is not ideal. In many of my posts I try to avoid pronouns altogether, but it becomes difficult after a while.
I would like to join your good work for rectifying this problem in the English language, but I don't want to offend anybody ...! I wonder what I should do? How has the whole thing worked out in your experience?
Aimee.