Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2019 is "THEY"

The next time you hear someone argue that you have to choose he or she to be grammatically correct, even though you know the subject identifies as gender non-conforming or non-binary, please share this link with them about the evolution of the word and the current accepted meaning of the word THEY:

“More recently, though, they has also been used to refer to one person whose gender identity is nonbinary, a sense that is increasingly common in published, edited text, as well as social media and in daily personal interactions between English speakers. There's no doubt that its use is established in the English language, which is why it was added to the Merriam-Webster.com dictionary this past September.”

It's nice to see the "official" language catch up with how language is already being used!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

A Quick And Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns - A queer language reference comic

A Quick And Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson

Archie, a snarky genderqueer artist, is tired of people not understanding gender neutral pronouns. Tristan, a cisgender dude, is looking for an easy way to introduce gender neutral pronouns to his increasingly diverse workplace. The longtime best friends team up in this short and fun comic guide that explains what pronouns are, why they matter, and how to use them. They also include what to do if you make a mistake, and some tips-and-tricks for those who identify outside of the binary to keep themselves safe in this binary-centric world. A quick and easy resource for people who use they/them pronouns, and people who want to learn more!

This guide is simple and really useful.

Covering how it feels to be misgendered, how we're all going to make mistakes occasionally, and offering some examples of how to integrate this pronoun knowledge into regular life, this guide is a great introduction for cis-gendered folks, and also, I imagine, really affiriming for those who use gender-neutral pronouns, and identify as gender queer, gender fluid, trans, or queer.

Some interior panels, from the review copy supplied to me by Oni Press:

Add your review of "A Quick And Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns" in comments!

Is My Cis Privilege Showing?

I've been thinking about my signature block when I send an email.

Yeah, I know. That sounds pretty self-involved.

But it's sort of the email equivalent of a name tag. And more and more, when I'm going to LGBTQ-inclusive, LGBTQ-sensitive events, I don't just put my name, "Lee," I'm also asked to share my personal gender pronoun (or PDP). I put He/Him/His under my name, and that's been that.

Only... I recently got an email from someone who had, after their name in the signature block, their pronouns. And I starting thinking... Should I do the same?

Given that I look like a guy, and my pronouns are the guy ones, would it just be perceived as me flaunting my cis privilege?

But as I dug deeper into why I maybe should do it, I came up with three better reasons:

1. To acknowledge there are other options besides the binary cis vision of gender.

2. To present the idea that someone who presents as a guy might not feel the "guy" pronouns works for them.

3. It's a way to for me to communicate to people living their lives outside cis-normative gender boundaries that I am their ally.

And I'm all about being an Ally.

So now, my signature block reads:

Lee Wind, M.Ed.
pronouns: he/him/his

and then the rest.

How about you? Would you consider adding your pronouns to your signature, and maybe even your social media profiles, as a sign of ally-ship for the Trans and gender non-conforming community?

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee


ps: because most cis people don't know what "PGP," or personal gender pronouns, stands for, I've gone with the simpler "pronouns" followed by a colon.

pps: need a refresher on "cis" versus "trans" in regards to gender? Check out episode 4 of Gender 101.

The Comma Queen on Gender Neutral Pronouns

The New Yorker's Mary Norris explains the singular form of "their" and gives some excellent advice on using it...

Love this!

Watch this on The Scene.

Thanks to my amazing husband for sharing it with me, so I can now share it with all of you.

ps - my apologies for loading the wrong video initially. The correct one is now in place. Thanks! Lee

Gender 101, Episode 28 Redux: Emmi's Tips on Interacting With Gender Non-Conforming People

Emmi shares some wonderful advice:



Thanks Emmi!

Here are the comments from the initial post:

Cynthia Leitich Smith said...
Respecting self-identification works well for biracial people as well. There are all kinds of reasons a mixed-race person might identify with one side of their heritage or another or both or neutral, despite their outward appearance and apparent posturing to other people.
May 2, 2012 at 7:31 AM

Angie said...
Thank you so much for doing this series, Lee. And thanks to Emmi, Nenu and others for openly sharing and educating!
May 2, 2012 at 8:08 AM

Elizabeth Twist said...
This is such a great series. Thanks to all of you!

Elizabeth Twist: Writer, Plague Enthusiast
May 6, 2012 at 4:27 PM


Namaste,
Lee

Gender 101, Episode #26 Redux: Meet Emmi

Our Gender-Queer friend Lucy (a.k.a. Benji) introduces us to another wonderful Gender Queer community member, Emmi!



I'm delighted to meet Emmi, and look forward to the discussions ahead.

Here are the comments from the original posting:

ivanova said...
Way to go, Emmi! That was expressed so well. I love "Gender 101."
April 18, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Joanna said...
Thanks, Emmi, I am so enjoying this series - every episode!
April 19, 2012 at 10:32 AM


Namaste,
Lee

Gender 101, Episode #23 Redux: Meet Nenu

Our Gender Queer Friend Lucy, a.k.a. Benji, continues the conversation about gender with Nenu Cruz, who explains their own journey with gender, and introduces us to the term "Maribri."




Here's that amazing image of Maribri again, and my thanks to artist Cindy Segura for allowing me to share it with you all!

Maribri

"A Maribri is a hybrid that transforms into their own image without limits or expectations.  The mix of a Mariposa (butterfly) and Colibri (hummingbird).  The hybrid of masculinity and femininity and neither.  A third gender that wants to be liberated from the social construct roles and their own."
- Nenu

I'm so glad to have met Nenu!

Namaste,
Lee

ps- my apologies for the video quality being so inconsistent.

You can check out the original posting and comment here.

Gender 101, Episode 26: Meet Emmi

Our Gender-Queer friend Lucy (a.k.a. Benji) introduces us to another wonderful Gender Queer community member, Emmi!



I'm delighted to meet Emmi, and look forward to the discussions ahead.

Namaste,
Lee

Gender 101: Episode 17: The No Pronoun Preference

In this episode my gender queer friend Lucy explains how even well-intentioned questions about preferred gender pronouns from queer people and our allies can misfire - and then explains how to successfully navigate the conversation.



I really am learning so much!  Thanks, Lucy.

Namaste,
Lee