When we talk about transsexuals, should we call them he or she?
What to call transsexuals?
I always call them 'it', to the ire of some, but it seems logical enough if I can't identify their gender. If I wanted to be very sensitive though I would say 'that person'.
Calling a transgendered person "it" is extremely offensive, as it implies that their gender makes them lose their humanity. The safest pronoun to use is that of the gender they wish to be or the gender towards which they are transitioning. That is, a man who wants to be a woman would be "she," and a woman who wants to be a man would be "he."
Of course, it never hurts to ask.
Of course, it never hurts to ask.
Ask for the name the individual wishes to be addressed by and then the problem is solved.
Not if it's not possible to ask. For example, if you're talking about someone in the distance it would be rude to walk up to a strange and ask "are you a a man or a woman", or if you have to talk to a transsexual in front of a crowd and you don't want to embarrass it by asking what sex it is.
Oops. You are asking about the pronoun. I refer to them by their biological sex, whether they like it or not.
<<Calling a transgendered person "it" is extremely offensive, as it implies that their gender makes them lose their humanity.>>
I refer to them as "it" as well, because technically they're Neither [i.e. neuter grammatical gender ;] (well, actually, they ARE one, they just feel and think that they want to be the other), but never to their faces--I have manners :)
No seriously, if it's a male to female transsexual, I will call him what he is--"He", because to be female (i.e. a "she") you HAVE TO HAVE OVARIES!
He's just a dude in a dress, cuz that's exactly what He still looks like to me.
Is this offensive? Hell Yeah, but where do you draw the line? If someone "felt" like they were a wolf, and lived out in the woods eating raw meat, you wouldn't just start calling him/her/it "Rover"...
c'mon, you have to draw the line somewhere between sensibility and CRAZY
discuss...
I refer to them as "it" as well, because technically they're Neither [i.e. neuter grammatical gender ;] (well, actually, they ARE one, they just feel and think that they want to be the other), but never to their faces--I have manners :)
No seriously, if it's a male to female transsexual, I will call him what he is--"He", because to be female (i.e. a "she") you HAVE TO HAVE OVARIES!
He's just a dude in a dress, cuz that's exactly what He still looks like to me.
Is this offensive? Hell Yeah, but where do you draw the line? If someone "felt" like they were a wolf, and lived out in the woods eating raw meat, you wouldn't just start calling him/her/it "Rover"...
c'mon, you have to draw the line somewhere between sensibility and CRAZY
discuss...
Or just pick a word from genderless languages:
dia (Bahasa Indonésia / Bahasa Melayu)
siya (Bahasa Tagalog)
ő (Bahasa Hongaria)
hän (Bahasa Finlandia)
u / vey (Bahasa Persia)
o (Bahasa Turki)
tā (Bahasa Mandarin)
etc.
dia (Bahasa Indonésia / Bahasa Melayu)
siya (Bahasa Tagalog)
ő (Bahasa Hongaria)
hän (Bahasa Finlandia)
u / vey (Bahasa Persia)
o (Bahasa Turki)
tā (Bahasa Mandarin)
etc.
>>c'mon, you have to draw the line somewhere between sensibility and CRAZY <<
Well, I don't think this falls on the "CRAZY" side, since gender-specific stereotypes are just societal constructs. Transgendered people just decided that they were on the "wrong" biological side; to refer to them by the pronoun for their original gender or as "it" is purely an act of spiteful hatred.
Well, I don't think this falls on the "CRAZY" side, since gender-specific stereotypes are just societal constructs. Transgendered people just decided that they were on the "wrong" biological side; to refer to them by the pronoun for their original gender or as "it" is purely an act of spiteful hatred.
<<since gender-specific stereotypes are just societal constructs.>>
Gender-specific stereotypes are reinforced by societal contructs, but society did not create them. Nature did. Societies make use of these natural constructs, and build themselves up on them, insomuch that without them, societies could not really exist.
There are inherent qualities specific to each gender, just as their are physical traits assigned to each gender.
When speaking of transgendered people, I find that they still maintain inherent qualities of their birth-gender, and these can be seen to manifest from time to time, especially under stress. This strongly leads one to speculate that there is a tiered gender-identity in operation with transgendered folk: a true suppressed gender, and a superimposed one which is contrary to it...
Gender-specific stereotypes are reinforced by societal contructs, but society did not create them. Nature did. Societies make use of these natural constructs, and build themselves up on them, insomuch that without them, societies could not really exist.
There are inherent qualities specific to each gender, just as their are physical traits assigned to each gender.
When speaking of transgendered people, I find that they still maintain inherent qualities of their birth-gender, and these can be seen to manifest from time to time, especially under stress. This strongly leads one to speculate that there is a tiered gender-identity in operation with transgendered folk: a true suppressed gender, and a superimposed one which is contrary to it...