I love the queers

[Doktor Howl]

Speaking of queerness....

I've been wearing a long modest skirt on campus for the last month and a half, 1-2 days a week. Initially I was terrified, but after a day of no body harassing me I've decided that if anyone gives a shit they won't act on it. Which makes me feel very good and self confident.

This reminds me that I forgot your gender, other than that there is some sort of weirdness going on with it. Do you mind if I categorize you as "genderqueer" for the sake of convenience? Also, what pronoun was I supposed to use? Do you mind if I alternate freely between male and female?

genderqueer is fine. he or she or they is fine. "It" is probably okay in the right context. made up pronouns are screwy because we already have neutral pronouns in this language.

Can I just call you Kai?

THIS.

Dok,
Doesn't catagorize his friends.

[Kai]

Speaking of queerness....

I've been wearing a long modest skirt on campus for the last month and a half, 1-2 days a week. Initially I was terrified, but after a day of no body harassing me I've decided that if anyone gives a shit they won't act on it. Which makes me feel very good and self confident.

This reminds me that I forgot your gender, other than that there is some sort of weirdness going on with it. Do you mind if I categorize you as "genderqueer" for the sake of convenience? Also, what pronoun was I supposed to use? Do you mind if I alternate freely between male and female?

genderqueer is fine. he or she or they is fine. "It" is probably okay in the right context. made up pronouns are screwy because we already have neutral pronouns in this language.

Can I just call you Kai?

THIS.

Dok,
Doesn't catagorize his friends.

Yes. In fact...I prefer that, but most people consider that to be too weird.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Lots of guys wear skirts in Portland... but, hell, it's Portland.

[Kai]

Lots of guys wear skirts in Portland... but, hell, it's Portland.

yeah.

[Vene]

Speaking of queerness....

I've been wearing a long modest skirt on campus for the last month and a half, 1-2 days a week. Initially I was terrified, but after a day of no body harassing me I've decided that if anyone gives a shit they won't act on it. Which makes me feel very good and self confident.

This reminds me that I forgot your gender, other than that there is some sort of weirdness going on with it. Do you mind if I categorize you as "genderqueer" for the sake of convenience? Also, what pronoun was I supposed to use? Do you mind if I alternate freely between male and female?

genderqueer is fine. he or she or they is fine. "It" is probably okay in the right context. made up pronouns are screwy because we already have neutral pronouns in this language.

Can I just call you Kai?

THIS.

Dok,
Doesn't catagorize his friends.

I don't mind categories, I mean, even "Kai" and "friend" are categories. But I do try to keep in mind that the words are not the object or concept or being they represent. They're a method of organizing the world and making it possible to understand. If a person or object or concept doesn't fit the word, it's the fault of the word, not what it is supposed to represent. But, what I really don't want to do is accidentally offend somebody, like Kai, that I respect. Especially not over something so easy for me to adjust as pronoun usage.

[Doktor Howl]

Speaking of queerness....

I've been wearing a long modest skirt on campus for the last month and a half, 1-2 days a week. Initially I was terrified, but after a day of no body harassing me I've decided that if anyone gives a shit they won't act on it. Which makes me feel very good and self confident.

This reminds me that I forgot your gender, other than that there is some sort of weirdness going on with it. Do you mind if I categorize you as "genderqueer" for the sake of convenience? Also, what pronoun was I supposed to use? Do you mind if I alternate freely between male and female?

genderqueer is fine. he or she or they is fine. "It" is probably okay in the right context. made up pronouns are screwy because we already have neutral pronouns in this language.

Can I just call you Kai?

THIS.

Dok,
Doesn't catagorize his friends.

I don't mind categories, I mean, even "Kai" and "friend" are categories. But I do try to keep in mind that the words are not the object or concept or being they represent. They're a method of organizing the world and making it possible to understand. If a person or object or concept doesn't fit the word, it's the fault of the word, not what it is supposed to represent. But, what I really don't want to do is accidentally offend somebody, like Kai, that I respect. Especially not over something so easy for me to adjust as pronoun usage.

No, "Kai" is the label, or name, that I use when I wish to speak to him.  It represents him as an entire entity, not just one facet of who he is...As opposed to "Genderqueer" which describes only one portion of him.  Kai may be genderqueer, but he's also a genius in his field, and a good friend who has given me very valuable advice on occasion. 

And "friend" may be a catagory, but it also does not put a limit on how I see a person.

[Thurnez Isa]

I categorize people by what appears under their nick
right now most of you are under the category of "Deserved It"

[Doktor Howl]

I categorize people by what appears under their nick
right now most of you are under the category of "Deserved It"

I catagorize people as "friends", "enemies", "some guy I know from around the way", and "irrelevant".

[Vene]

No, "Kai" is the label, or name, that I use when I wish to speak to him.  It represents him as an entire entity, not just one facet of who he is...As opposed to "Genderqueer" which describes only one portion of him.  Kai may be genderqueer, but he's also a genius in his field, and a good friend who has given me very valuable advice on occasion. 

And "friend" may be a catagory, but it also does not put a limit on how I see a person.

Okay, I'll accept what you're saying about "Kai." But, I still maintain that "friend" is a category. I also wonder why you're thinking that "genderqueer" limits how I see him as a person (at the least, not anymore than being "male" or "female"). I don't see anything wrong with it, I don't have any stigma against it. Hell, I'm fucking somebody who's genderqueer. When I'm asking about gender, I'm mostly just asking which pronoun do you want me to use. And I am willing to change it if necessary. I can think of two friends off hand who I went from calling "he" to "she" because that's what they wanted.

And, Dok, I'm human, I categorize and set up filters. I try to use them as useful tools to understand the bloody complicated world around me. But, I do actively keep in mind that, to use a cliche, the map is not the territory. The words are the representations of reality, but it's never reality that is wrong, my words are wrong. Which is also why I had no problem changing which pronoun I used when referring to my trans friends. The map was wrong, so I corrected it. The filter was wrong, so I changed it.

[Adios]

Speaking of queerness....

I've been wearing a long modest skirt on campus for the last month and a half, 1-2 days a week. Initially I was terrified, but after a day of no body harassing me I've decided that if anyone gives a shit they won't act on it. Which makes me feel very good and self confident.

This reminds me that I forgot your gender, other than that there is some sort of weirdness going on with it. Do you mind if I categorize you as "genderqueer" for the sake of convenience? Also, what pronoun was I supposed to use? Do you mind if I alternate freely between male and female?

genderqueer is fine. he or she or they is fine. "It" is probably okay in the right context. made up pronouns are screwy because we already have neutral pronouns in this language.

Can I just call you Kai?

THIS.

Dok,
Doesn't catagorize his friends.

I don't mind categories, I mean, even "Kai" and "friend" are categories. But I do try to keep in mind that the words are not the object or concept or being they represent. They're a method of organizing the world and making it possible to understand. If a person or object or concept doesn't fit the word, it's the fault of the word, not what it is supposed to represent. But, what I really don't want to do is accidentally offend somebody, like Kai, that I respect. Especially not over something so easy for me to adjust as pronoun usage.

No, "Kai" is the label, or name, that I use when I wish to speak to him.  It represents him as an entire entity, not just one facet of who he is...As opposed to "Genderqueer" which describes only one portion of him.  Kai may be genderqueer, but he's also a genius in his field, and a good friend who has given me very valuable advice on occasion. 

And "friend" may be a catagory, but it also does not put a limit on how I see a person.

Dok nailed it.

[Kai]

I categorize people by what appears under their nick
right now most of you are under the category of "Deserved It"

Whenever I feel bad I come to PD.com. After clicking around a while, I'll scroll up and see "Also, fuck you Kai" in the news.

Which makes me smile. 

[Kai]

No, "Kai" is the label, or name, that I use when I wish to speak to him.  It represents him as an entire entity, not just one facet of who he is...As opposed to "Genderqueer" which describes only one portion of him.  Kai may be genderqueer, but he's also a genius in his field, and a good friend who has given me very valuable advice on occasion. 

And "friend" may be a catagory, but it also does not put a limit on how I see a person.

Okay, I'll accept what you're saying about "Kai." But, I still maintain that "friend" is a category. I also wonder why you're thinking that "genderqueer" limits how I see him as a person (at the least, not anymore than being "male" or "female"). I don't see anything wrong with it, I don't have any stigma against it. Hell, I'm fucking somebody who's genderqueer. When I'm asking about gender, I'm mostly just asking which pronoun do you want me to use. And I am willing to change it if necessary. I can think of two friends off hand who I went from calling "he" to "she" because that's what they wanted.

And, Dok, I'm human, I categorize and set up filters. I try to use them as useful tools to understand the bloody complicated world around me. But, I do actively keep in mind that, to use a cliche, the map is not the territory. The words are the representations of reality, but it's never reality that is wrong, my words are wrong. Which is also why I had no problem changing which pronoun I used when referring to my trans friends. The map was wrong, so I corrected it. The filter was wrong, so I changed it.

Vene, I'm not limited by the word friend. The word friend is not a limiting word, IMO.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Great thread.

I don't have anything to add, just saying I've been enjoying reading it.

Carry on.

[Reginald Ret]

Great thread.

seconded.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Actually, now it's LGBTQQIA.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Allies.

Requesting an update on the proper terminology.  I can't keep up.