Have you ever tried to have a conversation about a person you know without using gender pronouns? It’s harder than you might think. Making a call home to update your parents on interactions with your roommates, friends and professors could prove especially challenging if the words “he” and “she” were off-limits.
The role that gender pronouns play in our daily lives and daily conversations was brought to my attention today during an interview with SPECTRUM member Raafe Purnsley. Purnsley presented some interesting points about the way that language affects people in our community. It can be difficult for some students to be labeled as a boy or a girl, when they may not identify with the words society wants to assign to them, Purnsley said.
Today’s conversation with Purnsley definitely increased my awareness about the ways that some people, including members of Elon’s community, can feel trapped by gender pronouns. It’s not something to be paranoid about, but definitely something to be aware of. If a person says that they don’t want to be referred to with a gender pronoun, take note of that, and be sensitive to the ways that even the most mundane-seeming aspects of our language can be hurtful.