What does she/they actually mean?

[bocodilloconqueso]

I noticed that a colleague has put She/they as her (their?) pronouns. I need help to understand this please?
I barely know them so don't feel comfortable asking. Particularly as there are always other people around.
Can anyone enlighten me?

An acquaintance has she/they as their pronouns and identifies as non-binary. Their full and utterly special identity is ‘femme non-binary trans’ or possibly those words are in a different order 🤔 It’s meaningless drivel and best ignored IMO. I wouldn’t be asking them about it as that’s what they’re after - attention.

www.them.us/story/multiple-sets-of-pronouns

Here you go. This was posted on another thread and explains clearly. Read it if you have nothing else to do this morning and don't mind your brain exploding

"She/they", a bit like "mx", means "please give me attention. I am so very cool. No, I don't want surgery, but sometimes I wear mis-matching eye shadow. Validate me."

While preferences differ for each person, generally when people use multiple pronouns, it is best to use them interchangeably unless they specify otherwise.

How is this anything other than attention seeking? It would end up as a confusing read and probably still risk offence as the balance wouldn't be right (or even used and it shouldn't be).

"Celebrities" used to worry themselves about blatant untruths, now it is about which pronoun is used and even the correct ones get them in trouble.

@Cyberworrier

A friend who does this self identifies as queer, despite being married and only ever having had heterosexual relationships. So I think it may be a way of signalling “queerness” (or- I’m not like other girls 🙄)

That’s my feeling too. I know a woman who is married with two kids and who started using she/them pronouns and describing herself as non-binary on Instagram a year or so ago. Nothing about the way she dresses or carries herself is particularly gender non-conforming. She does seem to have a fair amount of time on her hands though (not working and the kids are (pre)teens, so no babies/ toddlers to look after). She’s a nice woman, but I’m not sure what point she is trying to make apart from wanting to seem super progressive/woke?

"I'm a heterosexual white woman but that's not different enough so call me 'they', but not all of the time."

Purely attention seeking.

How does one pronounce Mx?

It means "I'm not like all the other girls".

Or "I'm the cool girl".

Or, more succinctly, "I'm a dickhead".

@CurrantTeacake

How does one pronounce Mx?

Like you have a hairball, I've always assumed.

I wouldn’t want someone who calls themselves “Mx” teaching my child.

There's a teacher at dd's school who is a Mx (pronounced Mix) who explains to the students she is non-binary and indeed she was born non-binary. She is a young woman with short hair, which seems to be what non-binary means. Dd, who has been taught gender stereotypes are a load of rubbish, has a lot of questions....

It simply means the individual goes by she/her/they/them pronouns, that they would be comfortable with those pronouns being used for her. Just like I've demonstrated in this reply. It's not hard or complicated.

Great! I’ll continue to use she or her pronouns for a biological woman who presents as female then

How does one "presents as female"?

@anaily

It simply means the individual goes by she/her/they/them pronouns, that they would be comfortable with those pronouns being used for her. Just like I've demonstrated in this reply. It's not hard or complicated.

But if you look at @miri1985 's post from yesterday, some people get annoyed / upset if both "she" and "they" aren't used. So it's not as simple as you make out, is it?

@anaily

How does one "presents as female"?

How does one present as non binary?

In my post above i used both she and they, it's a non issue.

@anaily

In my post above i used both she and they, it's a non issue.

Well you'd think, wouldn't you. It's completely normal to not use "they" in an article about someone, grammatically there is no need to use they. But some people are offended by this so expect "they" to be shoe-horned in just to validate them. Why the need for she and they? Just why?

@anaily

In my post above i used both she and they, it's a non issue.

So much of a 'non-issue' that they apparently feel obliged to spell out that they are fine with "they" being used when the rest of us don't give it a second thought.

It is a non issue, the only issue is the OP who doesn't understand it, the issue isn't the pronouns, the issue is OP not understanding it.

@Bambooshoot

I wouldn’t want someone who calls themselves “Mx” teaching my child.

What a stupid comment to make. How would it have any bearing on their teaching abilities?

Oh holy cow... haha ..

What ever happened to good old Tom boys? Surely women can cut their hair and wear tracksuit and watch football without having to be called 'they?' Before I get slated yes I am ignorant to it all cos I think a lot of it is attention seeking and jumping on a woke bandwagon sorry.. we all have out own opinions..

@anaily

It is a non issue, the only issue is the OP who doesn't understand it, the issue isn't the pronouns, the issue is OP not understanding it.

The issue is "you may either use she or they when referencing me in the third person" means, because of linguistic ease, she will always be used. She/they if honestly meant as you can use she OR they will render the 'they' superfluous in 99.9% of conversations.

@anaily

In my post above i used both she and they, it's a non issue.

It sounds like you forgot what you were writing half way through the sentence, like a goldfish.