Read on TwitterThe Hill I& #39;m willing to die on today is the erasure of the phrase "preferred pronouns".
Over the past few weeks I was flung from small town (city) Oklahoma, into a media whirlwind. There were a lot of questions that were asked frequently. 1/10
1 question that continues to stick out is & #39;what are my "preferred pronouns"& #39; - whether they mean do I prefer & #39;they& #39; over & #39;she& #39;, or if they haven& #39;t researched & don& #39;t know what my pronouns are.
They are just pronouns, Not preferred 2/10
They are just pronouns, Not preferred 2/10
The variation of pronouns (i.e. She/her(s)) happens because in different areas of writing you will need to refer to someone in different forms (Sub., Pos., & Obj.)*. When we find out what pronouns someone used we switch through the forms accordingly. 3/10
*Subject, Posessive, Object.
My pronouns are They/She and the respective variations in form. 4/10
My pronouns are They/She and the respective variations in form. 4/10
A writing example:
& #39;Mauree Turner is the first non-binary person to be elected to a state level position. They have spent their life fighting for equitable access to civil rights and liberties. Lately she& #39;s been kicking it with the TikTok kids.& #39; 5/10
*Still really cool!?*
& #39;Mauree Turner is the first non-binary person to be elected to a state level position. They have spent their life fighting for equitable access to civil rights and liberties. Lately she& #39;s been kicking it with the TikTok kids.& #39; 5/10
*Still really cool!?*
When asking for & #39;preferred pronouns& #39; a couple of things are happening:
1: Saying it& #39;s okay to erase part of someone& #39;s identity to get a story to air
As writers, folks lending their platform, this should never be the case. It& #39;s your job to educate yourself to be better. 6/10
1: Saying it& #39;s okay to erase part of someone& #39;s identity to get a story to air
As writers, folks lending their platform, this should never be the case. It& #39;s your job to educate yourself to be better. 6/10
2: The creation of a space that suggest there& #39;s something else you can call us by, other than our pronouns.
You have consent to use the pronouns that are given. Always got with enthusiastic consent. 7/10
You have consent to use the pronouns that are given. Always got with enthusiastic consent. 7/10
This is all in addition to the fact that the singular & #39;they& #39; has been something we have used in grammar for centuries. 8/10 https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/singular-nonbinary-they">https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-...
It was literally @MerriamWebster& #39;s word of the year in 2019 (which I know feels like centuries ago, itself, but in actuality it was just last year
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😳" title="Errötetes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Errötetes Gesicht">). 9/10 https://twitter.com/NPR/status/1204876530314297346?s=19">https://twitter.com/NPR/statu...
All in all: it& #39;s okay to use They & She & Xe & so forth in the same article.
I heavily encourage journalists to also care about the folks they are interviewing, not just the article they need to write. It& #39;s okay to continue your education outside of the classroom, loveshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💛" title="Gelbes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Gelbes Herz">
10/10
I heavily encourage journalists to also care about the folks they are interviewing, not just the article they need to write. It& #39;s okay to continue your education outside of the classroom, loves
10/10
If you feel like contributing to politicians who keep these things in mind when thinking about policy you can donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mauree ">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ma...
***Also, I& #39;m coming from a place of not only being on the receiving end of these interviews, but also be a journalist for a brief period of time.
I& #39;m not a professional linguist, I just know what it feels like to not have my pronouns and my story honored, but still told.
I& #39;m not a professional linguist, I just know what it feels like to not have my pronouns and my story honored, but still told.
Being* a journalist.
Hence it being very brief. Lol
Hence it being very brief. Lol
