I designed this for teachers who prefer a visual summary of the key ideas on degendering language. I also have longer text-based pieces for those who want more details: Non-Binary Students; Non-Binary “They” and Style Guides; Non-Binary Students and Pronouns. A separate issue: “Parents” can be problematic because not all of your students will have or live…
Category: Essays
What’s in a Name?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my name. My legal name is “Paul”. It’s the name I’ve worn most of my life. When I was too young to remember, I was Timmy. That was based on my middle name, which is Timothy. My older brother went by Mark, his middle name, and I went…
Non-Binary Students and Pronouns
A Guide for Public School Educators In an earlier article, I discussed binarist language and provided some ideas for avoiding it with your students. In this article, I’m focusing specifically on pronouns. First of all, though: Thank you for taking the time to read what follows. For many people, the increasing visibility of non-binary persons and the accompanying…
Summer Taylor’s Pronouns
Respecting someone’s memory includes respecting their entire identity. Summer Taylor, who was nonbinary, was murdered during a BLM protest when a driver illegally entered a closed portion of I5 in Seattle, drove around a vehicular barricade, and sped into a crowd. Summer, like many nonbinary people, used “they” pronouns. Respecting their life fully includes respecting that fact….
Being and Nothingness
A reflection. To be, or not to be, that is the question. I am a White person in a male body, 52 years old. I am married to a woman. I have a child, a stable job, and a home. I am so ordinary. I could live the rest of my life out with my head…
About That Syrup Thing…
Why are some White people so upset about losing Aunt Jemima? Please note: I’m White. While I’m glad you’re reading this, make sure you’re reading Black voices. If you decide to skip this and do that instead, wonderful. Some suggestions: Ijeoma Oluo, Ibram X. Kendi, Matthew Kay, Carol Anderson, bell hooks, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Angie Thomas, and…
Non-Binary “They” and Style Guides
In this article, I will summarize the advice offered in modern style guides regarding the use of “they” in the singular. First, though, I’ll provide some background. Background I grew up on Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, which clearly forbids using “they” in the singular. In fact, for those cases where we don’t know…
Talking Honestly About Genitals
Cisgender folks, we need to talk about language again. I’ll be talking about genitals, so some may consider this essay not safe for work (NSFW). The other day, I was writing a comparison between home-made face masks (low effectiveness against COVID-19) and penile condoms (high effectiveness against pregnancy and STD transfer). What struck me is…
Race and Class Privilege in the Age of COVID-19
Madonna recently referred to the COVID-19 pandemic as “the great equalizer”. In the sense that any infection itself doesn’t care about wealth, ethnicity, or background, she’s right. But the harsh reality is that our US culture is deeply steeped in inequities that impact our experiences, including during times of crisis like this. Both the mainstream news…
What a Non-Binary Person Looks Like
I need to clarify something, because people still seem confused about this. Non-binary people are all younger, except the ones who are older. Children can be non-binary. So can retirees. A non-binary person has long hair. Unless we have short hair. Or we could have asymmetrical hair. Mohawks are nice. So are buzzcuts. Mullets, too….