<
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-02-15/trans-kids-gender-identity-pronouns-kentucky>
"When the current pronoun movement was first taking shape — or at least, when I
first became aware of it several years ago — I was slightly irritated. Growing
up in a family where precision of language was cherished, then spending decades
in a career where subject and verb agreement is not optional, being asked to
use the pronouns “they” and “them” for a single individual grated on me. It
could lead to confusion, the very opposite of the clarity we strive for in our
profession.
I am
so over that now.
It took me a while to get here, but maybe the way people actually use language
is how language ought to be used. Also, maybe how people choose to be
identified is how we should identify them. In the newsroom, we used to call
this the Muhammad Ali rule: If Cassius Clay wishes to be called Muhammad Ali,
then that is what we will call him.
Likewise, if a human being identifies with a gender that is different from what
is on their birth certificate, then that is the gender we should use for them.
If a person decides they are nonbinary — that is, they identify as neither male
nor female — then that’s how we should identify them too.
The question of
why anyone makes these decisions is really none of our
business. Certainly, it is not the business of the state to tell people what
their pronouns should be.
In Kentucky, however, Republican legislators beg to differ."
Via Janet Logan.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
