transgender pronouns

tommangan · **Posted:** Fri Nov 01, 2002 6:37 pm

Any of y'all made style rulings on the proper pronouns to use with people whose gender identity is not the same as the, uh, parts they arrived with? Our solution of late has been to avoid the use of pronouns but it's obviously an inadequate one. My theory is we should follow the preference of the story's subject, as it's not much different from using a nickname or stage name.

SusanV · **Posted:** Fri Nov 01, 2002 10:53 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by tom mangan:
Any of y'all made style rulings on the proper pronouns to use with people whose gender identity is not the same as the, uh, parts they arrived with? Our solution of late has been to avoid the use of pronouns but it's obviously an inadequate one. My theory is we should follow the preference of the story's subject, as it's not much different from using a nickname or stage name.<hr></blockquote>My goodness! Does this come up often? :) Seriously, though, I don't see why it's even a question. Seems to me that once a person has undergone a sex change, the current sex is what rules. And any other specifics shouldn't even be germane unless that's the subject of the story. (Presumably we are not talking about transvestites, which is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.)

rumymommy · **Joined:** Tue Aug 06, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 138

Using the preferred pronoun is easy, unless the story is about the operation, which many stories that mention a sex-change often are about. It seems to me I would let the story dictate what the pronoun needs to be. If the story doesn't have anything to do with the operation, does it really need to be mentioned? (Think disabilities.)

jjmoney62 · **Posted:** Sat Nov 02, 2002 9:55 am

A couple of years ago, the Chicago Tribune ran a brilliant obit of one of its own, a longtime reporter and copy editor who ages ago had undergone a sex change. The handling of the person's sex (he had an extensive career, and so did she) was quite deft. I don't remember the name, but if a Trib type does, perhaps someone can dig it out of the archives.Btw, why "transgender," anyway?

SusanV · **Posted:** Sat Nov 02, 2002 3:56 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
Btw, why "transgender," anyway?<hr></blockquote>You know, that's a good question. Best-guess answer is that it's an extension of the insistence on (mis)using gender for what the traditional term used to be sex. There seems to be a very misguided perception that the word sex is confusing whereas gender never is. I've lost this argument with higher ups so often that I gave up even raising the question, but that doesn't mean I consider the usage legitimate. No one will ever convince me that Christine Jorgensen was "transgendered."

tim · **Posted:** Sun Nov 03, 2002 5:55 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by tom mangan:
Any of y'all made style rulings on the proper pronouns to use with people whose gender identity is not the same as the, uh, parts they arrived with? Our solution of late has been to avoid the use of pronouns but it's obviously an inadequate one. My theory is we should follow the preference of the story's subject, as it's not much different from using a nickname or stage name.<hr></blockquote>I say we should use "it." (Not that there is anything wrong with it.) :)

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