GNU Kind Communications Guidelines accused of transphobia

gnu.org

9 points·crazypython··8 comments

The HN title is not explained at all by the linked page, which on the contrary specifies that “For instance, call them by the names they use, and honor their preferences about their gender identity” which is absolutely not transphobic.

If anything there are already too many guidelines.

(1) Try to be nice. (2) Don't be an a*hole.

Who accuses these guidelines of transphobia and why?

“This text has since been updated, but is still transphobic.16 The main page on his web site includes the statement that “‘They’ is plural — for singular antecedents, use singular gender-neutral pronouns.”17”

For what it’s worth, I don’t understand why this is transphobic, but I would be curious to find out.

The RMS Open Letter says the guidelines are "still transphobic": https://rms-open-letter.github.io/appendix#i18n-dropdown-but...

> This text has since been updated, but is still transphobic.

The archived link [1] they provide to backup this claim already contains lines like the following:

> Honoring people's preferences about gender identity includes not referring to them in ways that conflict with that identity.

So I have to say the fact that the authors of this letter just put this out there while linking sources that are in contradiction to what they claim is...pretty concerning.

[1]: https://web.archive.org/web/20210325014959/https://www.gnu.o...

I assume they are being considered transphobic because the option to use neutral pronouns instead of the desired gendered ones is non-affirmative.

This is part of a coordinated attack on software institutions. Don't bite the bait.

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