Steering Committee Member Dr. Lee Airton in the Globe and Mail
Steering Committee member Dr. Lee Airton wants to “throw a wet blanket on this smouldering conversation” around the use of gender-neutral pronouns in a piece they wrote for the Globe and Mail.
“I’m a long-time user of the gender-neutral pronoun singular “they.” I ask that others use this familiar Standard English pronoun when referring to me because it doesn’t put me in either the man or woman basket. Why? Because a lifetime of abiding gender non-conformity has led me to a place where singular “they” makes deep sense. I have found that it facilitates my ability to be myself and in the world, where I commit my energy and enthusiasm to doing the best that I can for myself, my students, and my communities.”
Dr. Lee Airton teaches in the Master of Teaching program at OISE/University of Toronto, is a contributor to the Trans-Positive Teach-In series and is also a blogger on gender-neutral pronoun usage and user support (www.theyismypronoun.com).