Are we really at a point where a pronoun is persecuting people...?
This sort of attitude is seriously disrespectful to people who are actually being harmed, offended, and physically chased away from real spaces.
Chosing to reject someone's identity is persecuting them, yes. Luckily in England the courts agree and transphobes who refuse to use people's correct pronouns often lose their employment tribunal cases.
If you're intentionally going out of your way to use a pronoun that someone doesn't feel represents them, then yes - that is persecuting them.
If someone asks you to stop, and you keep doing it - that's persecuting them.
> Honoring people's preferences about gender identity includes not referring to them in ways that conflict with that identity. For instance, not to use pronouns for them that conflict with it.
> There are several ways to avoid that; one way is to use gender-neutral pronouns, since they don't conflict with any possible gender identity.
> One choice is singular use of “they,” “them” and “their.”
> Another choice uses the gender-neutral singular pronouns, “person,” “per” and “pers,” which are used in Information for Maintainers of GNU Software.
> Other gender-neutral pronouns have also been used in English.
I'm genuinely trying to understand this. That does not spell a strong opposition to the supposedly preferred use of "they". But even then, does that really warrant the label "transphobe"?
Is that all it takes to qualify as a transphobe person, despite all the other points?
I have explained elsewhere in this thread why it's problematic to call a he/him trans man "they" and never "him"
> That does not spell a strong opposition to the supposedly preferred use of "they".
A previous version of the guidelines banned singular they. It has single been updated, even though Stallman on his personal site continues his disapproval.
> Is that all it takes to qualify as a transphobe person, despite all the other points
Rejecting gender identities is core to being a transphobe.
RMS has spent several years railing against "them"/"they", based on his flawed understanding of English.
> Is that all it takes to qualify as a transphobe person, despite all the other points?
If you know my pronouns are he/him but you decide that you can't use those and insist on using they/them instead then yes, you have an irrational dislike of trans people and you're a transphobe, unless you can show that you only use gender neutral pronouns for everyone.
(I’m still going by “they” because a bad standard beats an incompatible hodgepodge of non-standards)
But now the footnote of the policy would allow you to call a trans woman "they" and never "her". That's not something transphobes (or anybody else) would ever do to a cis woman.
I've taken to calling my partner "partner", to be gender neutral. But in the short term, people probably incorrectly infer I use the term because I am gay. Or, if they're presumptive but less presumptive, gay or bi.