Quote:
Originally Posted by Aylmer
I don't know if you're actually interested in having your mind changed on this.
Sexual identity and gender are two very different things. I don't know exactly why you bought sexuality into this, or how saying "he/him" would provide you any information on someone's sexuality. Gender, however, doesn't fully have meaning if it isn't widely recognized by people around you.
The practice of introducing with pronouns is one which I find awkward and cumbersome. But I've never had to deal with people getting my gender wrong - people assume correctly 100% of the time. But I get the purpose of it - it's meant to normalize the practice so that, when someone who may not have a super easy-to-assume gender comes along, they don't feel like a freak. And tbh, it's made it easier for me too - I now don't have to awkwardly try to decide between either singling out someone by asking their preferred gender or guessing wrong. It's easy to sweep the awkwardness aside when it's just marginalized people, but that's increasingly not the case. For example, I felt really stupid mis-gendering a superior at the office. Increasingly, people who fall outside the gender norms are ending up as colleagues, bosses, clients. Is it illegal to offend them? no. But not being a dick to people you work with/for is just common sense.
I expect it'll just become one of these things which are done more and more regularly in a few years. I'm neither an advocate for or against it, but it's the way the wind is blowing. I'm also not too triggered by uttering two words after my name during the few times a week I meet new people
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Yes I realize there is a difference between gender, sex, sexual identity, etc.
That's not really the point. The point is that this is all very personal information, similar in nature to other examples like religion, ethnicity, race, etc. that people might not want to be forced into making declarations about in front of others.
I realize that this probably well-meaning and that the goal is to avoid misunderstandings, embarrassment or awkwardness, but if I go back to my original point, we need to realize that some people might feel comfortable with being put on the spot like that, and this can include cis-gendered, non-binary, trans, etc. people.
In our society, until now at least, we've generally frowned up putting people on the spot regarding Personal Characteristic X, Y or Z.
So if this gains steam (and you may be right that it likely could) it represents quite the paradigm change.