Comments on: How transgender folk are fixing an age-old literary problem

By: Rev. Nancy

Rev. Nancy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for this Sarah. As usual, your mom thinks you are surely cutting edge and it is really a good thing to think about.

Not sure if it will fly from the pulpit, but in time maybe God could be ZE or Hire, who knows?

I have heard these words before but am wondering how the decision was made for these specific words. Was there a vote and is it cast in stone that these words are appropriate and all agree?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I wasn't going to bring religion into it, but you know i've also been thinking along the same god lines. A gender-neutral pronoun would make the concept a WHOLE lot clearer and less patriarchal.

And no, the words aren't set in stone. Different groups are using different pronoun sets still, and it will continue to spread slowly, evolving as it goes, like everything in language. So pay attention... :)

Check these others out.

By: melody

melody — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I don’t really like the gender-neutral pronouns. But then, I’m not transgendered, so my opinion on them might not matter. I just find them confusing, but even so, I prefer the “proper English” way of stating things: He/Him/His when gender is unknown and in groups of genders.

Hopefully Ze and Hir won’t stick – and by that I mean hopefully better words for neutral genders will evolve – because those words make it sound like we’re talking about robots, not people.

By: badgerbag

badgerbag — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I'm a fan of "they" for singular uncertain or non-binary gender.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Apparently the LJ’ers got into an argument over this one. Check it out:

http://syndicated.livejournal.com/sarahdoppblog/18327.html

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve taken to simply using the female pronouns by default and nobody has given me any grief over it yet.