American South
Andy wrote…
I wish people would use ze/hir when referring to me. But really, how many people here in the conservative American South are going to play along with that? My friends and family might, but they would find it bizarre and excessive, as if I were just trying to get attention. :(
What’s your experience?
Posted by Freiya on December 19th, 2012 at 08:00 am
Category: your voice 3 comments »
December 19th, 2012 at 2:09 pm |
im genderqueer and dont give a flying fuck anymore about what pronoun anyone uses, people know me, they know who i am, they don’t need to use different pronouns to let me know they understand. people who get to know me, generally call me by my name, or call me dude. i don’t care what they choose, because telling them to say ze/hir is not going to change the way they interact with me. and to expect strangers to address you in that manner, is just going to confuse them when it comes to how to interact with you.
i know where the feeling comes from though, i don’t feel he or she ‘fits’ me either, but adding more pronouns isn’t going to change that. deconstructing societies view of gender is, and maybe once people are generally more knowledgeable on the subject, we could introduce gender neutral pronouns. but for now, it seems to just create confusion, and scare people away. we don’t need to be seen as wanting special treatment, we need to have acceptance in society first, and educate people, so they know we are not asking for special treatment when we want to be addressed according to how we feel.
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December 19th, 2012 at 5:47 pm |
UGH. I know just how you feel. (Also from the South.) I kind of agree with the anon above, but I feel that there are times when it is appropriate, and times when it’s not. In more conservative circles, it is indeed probably better to let people get to know you, then introduce it. Maybe in the future it will become more prevalent.
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December 21st, 2012 at 9:54 am |
It’s hard, right?
People won’t think about it unless we encourage them to think about it. But I agree I don’t want to be seen as intentionally difficult and wanting special treatment.
No advice. Just saying I agree. *sigh*
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