Yes, there's an absolutely excellent article called "pronouns are Rohypnol" that was removed from Medium a few years back. It really lays out the argument against pronouns perfectly (which I guess is why the powers that be at Medium removed it).
Where we've gone wrong is the idea that pronoun "preferences" should be compulsory in any way.…
Yes, there's an absolutely excellent article called "pronouns are Rohypnol" that was removed from Medium a few years back. It really lays out the argument against pronouns perfectly (which I guess is why the powers that be at Medium removed it).
Where we've gone wrong is the idea that pronoun "preferences" should be compulsory in any way. There are certainly some trans people, especially trans men, who pass so convincingly that it would just be obstinate to refer to them by their "sex based" pronoun. But that doesn't mean losing sight of reality in cases where it matters.
I once made the comparison to adoptive parents. We call a child's adoptive mother their mother. We don't add "adoptive" every time. But we know they're not genetically related and don't pretend they are. We recognise that it would be wildly irresponsible for the mother to tell a doctor they were related in the context of genetic conditions. Language is flexible enough to allow (optional) compassionate fudges I think. But they shouldn't be used to hide the truth.
Yes, there's an absolutely excellent article called "pronouns are Rohypnol" that was removed from Medium a few years back. It really lays out the argument against pronouns perfectly (which I guess is why the powers that be at Medium removed it).
Where we've gone wrong is the idea that pronoun "preferences" should be compulsory in any way. There are certainly some trans people, especially trans men, who pass so convincingly that it would just be obstinate to refer to them by their "sex based" pronoun. But that doesn't mean losing sight of reality in cases where it matters.
I once made the comparison to adoptive parents. We call a child's adoptive mother their mother. We don't add "adoptive" every time. But we know they're not genetically related and don't pretend they are. We recognise that it would be wildly irresponsible for the mother to tell a doctor they were related in the context of genetic conditions. Language is flexible enough to allow (optional) compassionate fudges I think. But they shouldn't be used to hide the truth.