Quote:
Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc
Queer dynamics are evolving very quickly. It is definitely a whirlwind and can be tough to keep up with - especially if you aren't a member of the community. Even as a member of the community, I remind myself that I need to remain open to the fact that what I say today may not end up being the way things are said tomorrow.
An example of this is the phrase "preferred pronoun" was used to describe how someone should be referred to. However, the use of the word "preferred" indicated it was more of a preference and implied it was an option/choice to use it.
Realistically, its only been in the last decade or so where queer issues have really be discussed on a large scale so things have regularly shifted as people are figuring out whether things are working.
Queer folks have been doing a lot of introspection around intersectionality which has guided a lot of changes. Intersectionality is the concept that queerness intersects with race, gender, class, disability, etc and, as a result, the experience that a gay white man has can be quite different from the experience of a black trans man. Identifying that gay white men often have held positions of power within the queer community has left a lot of other members feeling like their voices have not been heard.
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The simple fact that people must ask/announce the pronouns that will be used when referring to them makes them preferred. Was Elliot under obligation to use "he"? Did he not have a choice to pick he or they?