Gender-Neutral Language (Essay Sample)

Gender-Neutral Language Name Institution Course Professor Date Gender-Neutral Language Social equity has been and still is a significant concern in the community. Various measures have been employed to combat and improve this status over the years. Adopting gender-neutral language is among the criteria used to mitigate this social challenge, especially in the LGBTQ community CITATION Tav19 \l 1033 (Tavits & Pérez, 2019). Language massively influences mass opinion on LGBTQ equality. In the article, Nolasco (2021) shares her experience as a cis-gender woman in her community and a member of the LGBTQ community. There are various key talking points on gender-neutral language and the LGBTQ community. First, incorporating gendered manners in language has conditioned the discussion of gender equality in the LGBTQ community. The author attests to the offensive nature of gendered tones. In the reading, Nolasco says, “I can’t quite remember the conversations or scenarios that led to me growing up with the inherent knowledge of using words like sir or mam as a respectful way to address individuals. These terms never caused me much thought until they became offensive to me personally” (Nolasco, 2021). Misidentification of an individual’s gender is based on the societal norms of dressing and other traditional determining aspects of an individual’s gender. Adoption of a more gender parity phrase such as excuse me in place of sir/madam would make a milestone in solving this problem CITATION Tav19 \l 1033 (Tavits & Pérez, 2019). The inclusion of such phrases ensures that an individual is no misidentified sexually. Second, the inclusion and application of proper pronouns in one's vocabulary are also essential when employing a gender-neutral language in speech. The use of gendered pronouns such as he/she, her/him does not incorporate the LGBTQ community CITATION Mea21 \l 1033 (Nolasco, 2021). The use of he/she as a reference to individuals does not account for the transgender individuals in the community. Such gendered pronouns would cause social unrest within the community or audience. Adopting pronouns like they/them would go a long way in improving this aspect of the societal sense of inclusion. The author stresses the importance of pronouns in conversations and their potential impact on the LGBTQ community. Nolasco (2021) says, “I do not share my pronouns solely, so others do not misgender me in email conversations or upon seeing my outward appearance. I share them(pronouns) mostly to normalize the conversation around pronouns not being something that we can assume” (Nolasco, 2021). From this statement, the author stresses the importance of using inclusive and gender-neutral pronouns in daily personal and public conversations. Third, understanding unintentional misgendering and the subsequent conversation is fundamental in improving this challenge in society. Misgendering in speeches and other discussions is, in most cases, unintentional. According to Nolasco, “Now, no matter the amount of awareness or education we all have, it seems inevitable that we may mak...