We are not a fountain of information. We hope that this project sparked your interest, and that you would like to learn more about gender as a social construct. If you see us around, feel free to talk. In regards to the reach of this project though, this is the end. However, if you're interested in learning more, take Queer Studies! Barring that, reading more about gender and gender variance:
-Diagnosing Difference
--Brilliant movie. Documentary on GID (gender identity disorder) being a psychological disorder in the DSM-IV (diagnostic statistical manual 4). A broad view of being transgender.
-Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity by Mattilda Berstein Sycamore
--Anthology regarding the notion of passing as part of the violence of assimilation.
-That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation edited by Mattilda Berstein Sycamore
--A radical book dedicated to resisting the homogenization of queer culture, to activism, and to challenging ideas of class, gender, race, and social change.
-Transgender History by Susan Stryker
--How it really went down.
-Transgeneration
--Movie on four transsexual college kids going through college and going through the transitioning process.
There's more, obviously. There's always more. This is just a beginning.
Or, ways in which YOU (yes, YOU!) can help create a safer place for gender variant people:
-http://www.safe2pee.org
A wiki-style site where anyone can enter in gender neutral and disability accessible bathrooms in the area.
-http://www.rpya.org/Qmunity/
Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, the one-room queer resource center to serve all of San Bernadino to Riverside. Opportunities to volunteer galore, if you're willing to take a Metro ride out to San Bernadino.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_pronoun#Summary
A list of gender pronouns. Clearly this is not an exhaustive list, but it is a start. (Thanks Skye)
-Keep in mind gender pronouns. Ask if you don't know. Don't assume. Make the effort to learn.
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ReplyDeleteCan you provide a recommended link for preferred gender pronouns? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWikipedia has a table of pronouns. Gender-neutral pronouns are those in the "Invented Pronouns" section as well as singular "they". In general, you are likely not to offend if you use "he" for male-identified people, "she" for female-identified people, and gender-neutral pronouns for other people.
ReplyDeleteOf course, you can't tell what someone's gender identification is without asking. And some non-binary-gendered (neither strictly male- nor strictly female-identified) people prefer certain sets of gender-neutral pronouns to others. Asking "what set of pronouns do you use?" is likely to get you a good answer for that.
I don't agree that saying "what set of pronouns do you use?" is a smart move unless you universally apply it to everyone you meet, which probably won't work out well. If you apply it only to people who seem like they might not be cisgendered, you may end up insulting them by ungendering them. It's not okay to call someone's gender presentation into question, especially in public.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of asking about what gender pronouns to use is one that I've come across some recently. I am FTM trans, but I am probably a little bit odd in that I really don't care what gender pronoun is used on me. Because I got both he and she used on me about equally as a small child, I never really differentiated the two. That's me, some trans and genderqueer folk don't feel that way at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that if you are concerned about what pronoun to use on a person in a public setting, instead of asking them there and potentially embarassing them, just try to avoid the use of a pronoun at all, then ask them privately later. In a more personal setting, I don't see anything wrong in asking if you are unsure.
Some people would be offended by you even asking what gender pronoun that they want you to use on them. Consider a person like me female bodied, strongly female identified roommate. She looks/acts/dresses as female, and it is something that she considers an important part of her identity: if you have to ask her if she is a woman, you're doing it wrong. On the other hand, I would much rather someone ask me about it in private than feel awkward for a long time. I pass as male pretty well, but I confuse people a lot (especially teachers who have to look at my name on the roll sheet).
I understand the point about not assuming about gender pronouns, but sometimes it is worse to try to ask about it then and there.
--An FTM Student
I'm in the middle of finals, but either Lowell or I will respond by Saturday.
ReplyDeleteAgain, the people I'm in communication with would rather have people ask them their preferred gender pronoun, and they think not asking is worse. So I didn't have another perspective.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't imagined asking gender pronouns in a public setting though, just private. Generally the transperson would probably announce their preferred gender pronoun themselves if they were going to do it in a public setting.
I do think that asking gender pronouns would be more offensive to cisgendered people, actually. Their femininity or masculinity is coming under attack. I also think that people who do have very feminine or masculine gender expressions aren't asked, which also works out well for people who try to pass. If you are making a mistake by asking though, it probably won't adversely affect the health of that person as much as it would affect the health of a person if you don't ask and don't use their preferred gender pronoun.