As a Christian, I’m all in favor of using inoffensive language. But the use of language that denies reality is more than slightly problematic. Therefore, I won’t use someone’s preferred pronoun if that pronoun doesn’t correspond with physical reality.
I don’t have a problem using someone’s preferred name since names are merely conventional. Pronouns like she/he & her/him reflect the reality of God’s bi-natured creation and cannot reasonably be changed anymore than you can change your sex. Mind/Soul and Body were meant by God to be integrated halves of a single whole person.
I can’t lie about that.
I use sex-based pronouns for people, please respect my beliefs.
True, sometimes we can’t tell someone’s biological sex. But when we do know…..we must speak truthfully. For those who wish to point out the existence of “Intersex” people, that is to say, those with a Disorder of Sexual Development (DSD), as a reason for adopting a more flexible stance on sex, gender and pronouns, please read these posts.
Language matters.
If I’m in the presence of someone who wishes to deny biological reality, I will respectfully avoid the use of pronouns. It won’t be easy. But that’s where I draw the language line.
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Below is a table of both gendered and gender-neutral pronouns, along with their pronunciations. It is important to note, though, that some people do not subscribe to any pronoun and may like to be referred to by name only. [My Policy]
This is also not an exhaustive list.
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| She | Her | Hers | shee, hur, hurs |
| He | Him | His | hee, him, hiz |
| They* | Them* | Theirs* | thei, them, thehrz |
| Xe | Xem | Xyrs | zee, zem, zeres |
| Ze | Hir | Hirs | zee, here, heres |
| Ze | Zir | Zirs | zee, zere, zeres |
| E | Em | Eirs | ay, em, airs |
* Though they / them / theirs are traditionally plural, these pronouns can be used as singular in this context. Example: Janice scored well on their final paper; they received an A.
Another real world example may be found in a previous post “For Women Scotland.” If you follow the Twitter link there you will be able to read the news story about the convicted sex criminal, Laura Miller, who identifies as gender-neutral . Here’s how the news story about Miller’s crime begins:
A pervert who filmed themselves sexually assaulting a sleeping woman has been jailed for almost two years.
For the uninitiated reader “themselves” does not refer to more than one pervert but to a single person who identifies as gender-neutral and whose preferred pronouns are “they/them/theirs“. The journalist Jenni Gee would be guilty of “misgendering” if she had used different pronouns in reference to Miller. In fact, in some jurisdictions in the Western world, you may be brought up on charges for misgendering someone. (See the video I posted here for evidence of the criminalization of wrong pronoun usage!)
Is this the world we want to live in? We better come up with some answers quick. Things are moving swiftly.
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As a Classic Christian I encourage everyone to “Embrace, Don’t Affirm.”
Individuals with a Gender Identity Disorder (Gender-Dysphoria) need Truth-filled Love. Please read this post for more details.