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It's common in TG circles to ask people their preferred pronouns, to avoid unintentionally misgendering them.
I don't see any place on Bigcloset to find out people's preferred pronouns, especially authors' preferred pronouns. There are a few authors here for whom I've gotten mixed clues as to their (preferred?) gender, and many of the names people go by here don't make the person's gender / pronouns obvious.
Is there some place (page, field, etc.) to see someone's preferred pronoun(s) and/or gender? If not, would it be reasonable to suggest adding such an (optional) feature?
(Obviously, the final word would lie with the admins, especially since I have no clue as to how difficult it would be.)
Comments
I tend to....
... just go with however someone is presenting as at the given moment (in; RL, VR, Games, Forums etc). Here since the format is text, the primary clue would be a person's name, "is it male or is it female?", however some names are ambiguous, plus internet handles can be anything. Unless they have stated a preference that does not fit that.
However if you are having a technical discussion of some sort about a change or variant of gender it may be necessary to use both within context.
~Hypatia >i< ..:::
But
The problem with that is when you encounter non-cis who are non-binary/agender/ect. They aren't male or female so I just go with They, as Erin Stated. It's the best unless it's otherwise stated.
For me however my pronouns are She/her/hers.
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
But one of my favorite authors...
...still gives some mixed clues as their name could be both male and female, their writing style is mostly female, but their replies to comments are mostly male in style... I am bewildered!
Well
You could always PM them privately, discreetly and respectfully. The author in question could be from a multitude of genders, there is more than just male and female after all.
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
When in doubt
I suggest that one does not use any non-proper pronouns at all and just use the user's handle. Like 'Guest Reader' for example ;-). One would never guess I am actually in real life a Norwegian Blue, eh? LOL.
E's pinin'
Actually, "e" isn't an altogether bad pronoun.
Strange to me
My name has always been Gwen. In my other life it was spelled a little differently but always sounded like Gwen. Here in 'merica, that's seen as a female name and I'm female.
I've never understood the GBLT sets preoccupation with descriptors
preoccupation?
it isn't so much in a lgb part, but in the t yes.
and when you remember that for a lot of our life we were hit with gender specifics that didn't match our inner self, it makes sense that we want them to match once we start getting our gender clear..
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
There's a solution
There's a solution that's been used in English for 600 years. Singular "they". Good enough for Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton and Dickens, good enough for everyone. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I personally prefer the NYC version myself
Youse understand dat don'tcha? :)
Singular They
Actually, regardless of the authority of the people pushing this, it's simply not true that they has been used as an epicene (gender-neutral) pronoun with a singular antecedent for that long. It's been used as an indefinite pronoun when the sense is "one or more" rather than strictly "one" of whatever it is. In that role its requirement for a plural verb is completely natural, and the implication that the plurality consists of mixed genders comes along for the ride and is also completely natural.
It's only been used as a singular epicene pronoun since the late 70s or early 80s, and it's still very uncomfortable in that role since it still requires a plural verb. It won't really be comfortable until it's usable with a singular verb, and I haven't seen any movement toward that.
Politeness requires that you address people the way they want, and if they want to be addressed as "they," then so be it.
However, I think the OP was asking for yet another feature that could be put into an author's or user's profile and would be displayed on their stories and posts.
I just checked again
Five easily found sources on the web agree with me. :) I do a lot of reading in this subject.
They has been used as singular in cases when the proper use of he or she is unknown or undeterminable for a very long time. And yes, it is frequently used with a singular verb, though that is not the requirement as supposed above. Its use has been decried by some prescriptive grammarians for only the last century or so. But that does not mean that everyday people and great writers have not used it during all that time. The animus against singular they traces back to the attempt to make English more like Latin in the late nineteenth century with proscriptions against split infinitives, prepositional adverbs and other such notional "improvements".
And yes, the original poster was asking a slightly different question. But it isn't something I'm going to provide an answer to, that is left up to individual authors.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Epicine they
Maybe I could have been clearer. The examples that the usual suspects trot out to support the notion that using singular they as an epicine pronoun simply don't support it. You have to look at the examples to see that, just depending on someone who says that it's historically supported without giving examples doesn't work for me. And I have looked in places like Language Log and the Lingua Franca blog at the Chronicle of Higher Education. I could give you a bunch of other linguistics blogs that are on my home page as well.
Without examples, the discussion is futile. With examples, you'll see that essentially all of the usual examples of historical use are to antecedents that can be construed as having a plural sense in context; mixed gender comes along with plurality for the ride.
There is a very good discussion of this in Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage (2002) under the topic they, their, them, beginning on page 733 of the paperback and continuing for slightly more than two pages.
You were clear enough.
We just disagree on this. And I am not uninformed, I too have looked at Language Log and other similar sources. I've even been a contributor on some of those. Language Log is one of the blogs I read regularly. If you do a search there for my real name, you might find my theory of environmental influences on language sound inventories. Why do most Polynesian languages have only one sibilant? Why do the !Kung/San languages sound like desert insects? I am a linguist, it is one of the eight or so professions that I have trained in and done professionally. I'm also an editor and a teacher as well as a computer programmer, photographer, journalist, songwriter, cartoonist, graphic designer and film editor. I'm old. :)
Let's leave it that singular they is developing in the modern world toward a greater usage than it has had in the past. Just how much usage it has had in the past is a matter of interpretation of the evidence.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Hear, hear!
...or should that be 'her, her!' ?
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
How??? How do you survive??? Procreate???
With all of this PC bs? The more I read about life in US of A, the more I need 15 volume guide on proper use of pronouns and 45 volume guide on proper use of bathrooms...
:-)
Is there an actual manual available that I could use/refer to to avoid lawsuits while visiting USA?
When in doubt
When in doubt, use the family bathroom, and save the seat next to you! =)
Edit: Oh, and when in doubt, ask the person in private message?
~Taylor Ryan
My muse suffers from insomnia, and it keeps me up at night.
YES!!
Exactly, and it is some people's preferred pronouns so it double works :D
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
There are a raft of them...
He, she, it are only the start of a very large selection.
Wikipedia article on pronouns
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Go with the cliche?
As "common wisdom" holds that 90% fan fiction/fiction posted on the web was written by a female I go with a default "she".