Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.
The focus this time: Cis-hetero people get yellow stars to wear.
First, a little mood music:
Carrying on…
Because you will not be trusted to politely ask others what their “gender pronouns” are, Edinburgh University is handing out “gender badges” to tell you what you must say in order to avoid being hit with a “H8 crime”.
“A guide to pronouns released by the university students’ union last week said that those who make assumptions based on appearance risk ‘singling out trans people who want to clarify their pronouns’.
“It said: ‘Many people assume that the pronouns they should use for an individual are obvious.
“‘People who look like men should be referred to using he/him, and people who look like women should be referred to as she/her.
“‘However, these assumptions based on appearance can be frustrating and harmful, particularly for trans folks who might challenge people’s perceptions of what a man or woman looks like, and those who might use gender-neutral pronouns.’
“The guide added that gender is ‘fluid’, so even if someone has used a particular pronoun in the past, they may no longer feel it is correct.”
Who else to one up a university than the oh-so-woke BBC, complete with “ally” badges to heterosexuals will feel pressured to wear lest they be seen to be even lower than the BBC sees them now.
“The BBC is encouraging staff to become ‘straight allies’ of colleagues who are gay, lesbian or have other gender identities.
“The move is an attempt to tackle what it calls a ‘heteronormative culture’, in which being straight is considered the norm.
“To shift the balance, staff who are heterosexual but ‘actively promote’ LGBT issues will wear pin badges or use email signatures to signify that they are ‘allies’ of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender colleagues.”
And for the kiddies who can’t read yet… there’s puppets!
“A trio of videos created by a Canadian foundation is now available to help young people and their families deal with the ‘exploration’ of gender issues.
“The Montreal-based Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation created Julian, formerly Julia, a transgender marionette who ‘feels in her heart she’s a boy.’ The foundation, dedicated to fighting bullying, made the videos and ancillary educational materials available for free on Wednesday.
“According to The Canadian Press, the vids are ‘very targeted’ and discuss ‘gender identity, self-expression and acceptance.'”
TTFN.
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