Gender-neutral pronouns (zhe, thon, hir, etc.) have been tried repeatedly. The American Heritage Book of English Usage on the subject:
Like most efforts at language reform, these well-intended suggestions
have been largely ignored by the general English-speaking public, and
the project to supplement the English pronoun system has proved to be
an ongoing exercise in futility. Pronouns are one of the most basic
components of a language, and most speakers appear to have little
interest in adopting invented ones. This may be because in most
situations people can get by using the plural pronoun they or using
other constructions that combine existing pronouns, such as he/she or
âhe or sheâ.
Your name is a verifiable legal fact. There was no guessing involved in calling her Bradley before she made her announcement, and unless thereâs been a legal name change, calling her Chelsea (and âherâ) is simply a courtesy, one which not all institutions will extend.
If youâd be willing, Iâd be curious to know how you understand that reactivity now that you look back on that time in your life. A friend was really confused and upset by some interactions she had with conservative guys on Facebook who have managed to have civil conversations with her about many other topics they disagreed on, but who flat-out refused her request to use female pronouns for CM in her space and got very angry and belligerent about it. I also have a hard time understanding the whole âyou have a DICK, you are a MANâ contingent that comes out in comment sections when trans stuff comes up. So Iâd be particularly interested to hear from someone who has had a change of heart.
A lot of people also insisted at the time that we should all be referring to her as âBreanna,â which as it turns out isnât even the name she prefers. I think waiting for the official statement from Manning was the correct and respectful call.
Gender neutral pronouns have been tried repeatedly
I never said to call anyone by any pronouns, neutral or otherwise. In fact, before it was clear I recommended quite the opposite.
People kept/keep responding to my comments with âwe canât/couldnât call Manning by female/neutral pronouns without knowing first!â as though I recommended calling Manning by female/neutral pronouns before she came out after her sentencing. I never said this, and I donât know who these people are arguing with. I recommended no pronouns. None. Not a single pronoun. Not male pronouns, not female pronouns, not neutral pronouns, not Bradley, not Breanna, not Chelsea. I said, âbefore we know, letâs stop assuming this person is cis and not use any pronouns or first names.â It might be clunky, but we might just have to sacrifice perfect phrasing for the sake of some basic trans alliance.
People kept/keep responding to my comments with âwe canât/couldnât call Manning by female/neutral pronouns without knowing first!â as though I recommended calling Manning by female/neutral pronouns before she came out after her sentencing. I never said this, and I donât know who these people are arguing with. I recommended no pronouns. None. Not a single pronoun. Not male pronouns, not female pronouns, not neutral pronouns, not Bradley, not Breanna, not Chelsea. I said, âbefore we know, letâs stop assuming this person is cis and not use any pronouns or first names.â It might be clunky, but we might just have to sacrifice perfect phrasing for the sake of some basic trans alliance.
Well, for what itâs worth, I agreed with you ⌠I just never saw you saying it because I stayed away from articles on Chelsea until she did officially come out. I felt odd talking about her trial because I knew she was trans* (or at least strongly questioning) and understood her reasons for not explicitly coming out during the trial.
Situations like that irk my dysphoria something fierce and most days I donât need the help. Sorry I wasnât there to lend a voice.
