Is anyone else bothered by people forcing others to use this word?

[A-weird-girler]

Oh so that's what gender neutral raising is???? Just letting kids pick for themselves?? I thought, as a foreigner to US, that gender neutral raising was when the kid was forced to wear both female and male clothes and that they were always called them and the kid didn't have a say in the matter since that was how many people reffered it to. I think that came from misinformation then, oh that actually sounds good! But thanks for taking time to educate me on the subject rather than call me a bad person. Really cleared things up for me

[LordVincent]

Also please do not spread sources you have not thoroughly investigated on a topic where there is already SO MUCH MISINFORMATION being spread. Misinformation that, and this is true, RUINS LIVES.

We're talking about kids stuck in bodies that make them want to die. Ticking time bombs about to fuck their entire existence over, the way they see it. When the wrong kind of puberty hits there is no way back and it will take so much more effort, much more dangerous procedures, much more time and pain and so much more money to fix the shit that puberty fucked up. Hormone blockers are a relatively harmless procedure, far more harmless than a lot of the gymnastic exercises that all able-bodied kids are put through in PE in school, and it basically forces puberty to wait a few more years so that the kid can have time to think about the decision or time to go through all the legal and psychological procedures that stand between them and the treatments they need.

You are spreading transphobic-sourced misinformation against a treatment that literally saves lives.

[A-weird-girler]

Please do not label me as transphobic even when I clearly stated to not be. Also, puberty is not done when you're 13-14, so I feel that that is the safest age to start puberty blockers since I never said I was against them for everyone, just very young children.

[LordVincent]

kid was forced to wear both female and male clothes and that they were always called them, since that was how many people reffered it to. I think that came from misinformation then, oh that actually sounds good!

Forcing a kid into that sounds more like how an extremist on tumblr thinks a child should be raised... They do not represent us in any way and by acting that way they are kind of just doing the exact same thing as a transphobic mom forcing their trans teen to adhere to cis standards.

[LordVincent]

I said the sources you provide are transphobic.
If you are not transphobic, do not spread transphobic sources and misinformation. Don't contribute to enforcing transphobic practices. Simple as that

My first period came when I was 11 if my memory serves me right, so puberty blockers before 13 is entirely reasonable.

[A-weird-girler]

I wasn't aware the sources were transphobic as I didn't read the last part. So once again, misinformation . I guess everyone has a different opinion on different medical practices then, but if it is safe I'm totally down

[A-weird-girler]

Also, while we're at it, what gym exercises are you talking about? Is it true that US kids have to climb this huge rope and go to the ceiling to test rope climbing skills? because if it is, that sounds pretty strange

[LordVincent]

Gymnastics are a generally risky thing?? Especially team games, kids can get pretty violent and disrespectful of one another and end up getting hurt.

Dunno how it is where you are but over here there are winter whole-days where everyone has to go skiing. I had a classmate who ran straight into a tree and broke her leg i think it was. Sure, that didn't happen during school time, but the skiing exercise she performed was the exact same kind of exercise you could opt for in school.

Anything that involves a physical activity with high speeds, high force or high heights can give you anything from a light scratch if you get a tad unlucky, to your neck broken if you get VERY unlucky.

But we are willing to put our kids through that as a society. Why? Because the exercises are intended to make them stronger and evolve as people.

It's the same with hormone blockers. I can confirm that I wasn't able to evolve properly emotionally, socially and maturity-wise until I had gone on testosterone myself. Going through the wrong puberty is a thing that blocks many transgender people from a lot of the mental developments that people take for granted in teenagehood, since so much of their energy goes to the dysphoria and struggles involved in being trans.

[A-weird-girler]

SKIING???!?! The US is crazy jajajaja, why would you go skiing? Isn't that where you put the little mini boards on your feet and guide yourself with the sticks? Here the riskiest thing that students do is run around the track field and the monkey bars, point being, pretty tame stuff. Once again I'm only against hormone blockers for very young children since people are wanting them to get the hormone blockers as early as 5 years old, but I am pro hormone blockers if the child is in their mid-teens as long as its safe for them and they feel comfortable and secure and happy in their new body and environment.

[LordVincent]

SKIING???!?! The US is crazy jajajaja, why would you go skiing?

I'm in sweden, so I can safely agree with you that the US is crazy as I do not live there and my only experience in the country confirms how crazy it is lol.

[directorador]

In the states we have manditory foreign language for highschool, wheras in the rest of the world I think students learn a second language really younger. The choices were Japanese, French, Latin, Spanish and German. And honestly I wanted to learn Cherokee, the language of my people, or even Miami. However, the ways the US view the First Nations is abysmal, if you had not heard about the recent happenings with the Sioux nation, look into the pipeline protests, particularly the Morton County Sherif's Department.

So I thought, as a person displaced from his tribe, what language would suit me. Spanish is the language of the enemy, I mean I'd heard all about Portugal and Spain's use of slaves and rape to assimilate the first nations. Japanese has too many characters, and French is like, so doesn't like Americans. And Latin is sort of dead. I ended up picking German simply because my step dad at the time spoke it so I could practice with him.

I think all those listed languages are lovely, and when you strip away the histories of their people, they are indeed wonderful speakers around the world.

Now some of my favorite stories from history are like Lapu Lapu, the hero of the Philippines who killed Ferdinand. And it goes on. I have studied German, Russian and Cherokee, as well as some Hindi and other non Cyrillic languages. I'd even spent some time learning Summerian for the sake of understanding language more. In all cases, the speakers both assimilated and natural born, created their own colloquialisms that I feel we should respect. Even in english you have British and American variants, and they both continue to grow.

While I respect that you may be frustrated with the preservation of the Spanish language, I just feel it's not as great or innocent as one might imagine. I think of all the battles fought under the Spanish flag, the shift from a word to a new word should be the least of your worries

Anyways, have a great day. And yes, American education is really #1 for illiteracy and early incarceration.

[A-weird-girler]

You too! Yeah Spanish people were some of the worst to half of my family since I'm half indigenous Latina too and still know a little bit oh k'iche' but it didn't catch up to me as much as Spanish from my mom's side.
@LordVincent OOOOHHHH I thought you were in the US lol! That makes much more sense. Is Sweden really how they picture it with the mountains and countryside? Becuase I don't really know much about Sweden

[Progg]

Sorry, I'm not caught up. What are the arguments used to change this word, and where is the word "latinx" derived from?

[MadamBubble]

That's fucked up, this just goes to show that society is collapsing. The phrase Latino is not racist!!

[A-weird-girler]

It's not so much as the word is changing that's my problem, is that people are forcing you to use this word lest you be attacked

@BubbleGirlJosephine It's not about racist it's more about sexist

[qwerty]

Ehhh, I think the problem here isn't really the word itself, but the fact that we've gotten into an 'offense - counter-offense' cycle. Like,

• One person gets offended because a word is supposedly being used incorrectly (or whatever reason)
• Second person gets offended that the first person is offended
• Escalating cycle of people being offended

Frankly the only solution is for someone at some point to just not care and not complain. Otherwise it goes on forever.

I think sometimes we can forget that real respect isn't all about using the right pronouns, having the right opinion on a particular issue, or being "inclusive" with some complex ideology. These are small things.

The big thing is just the way you act, right now. Resisting the temptation to get offended or indignant. Not putting an abrasive edge on your words. Being willing to be the bigger person and not return insults with more insults.

If an ideology of "respect" isn't backed by these things, then it means nothing.

[A-weird-girler]

Yes but these people were persistent. I even had some people in my dms telling me I was a bad person. I never insulted them back I just deleted my reply. Although getting compared to hitler is a new one for me @audratki

[DiegoPalacios]

I think sometimes we can forget that real respect isn't all about using the right pronouns, having the right opinion on a particular issue, or being "inclusive" with some complex ideology. These are small things.

The big thing is just the way you act, right now. Resisting the temptation to get offended or indignant. Not putting an abrasive edge on your words. Being willing to be the bigger person and not return insults with more insults.

If an ideology of "respect" isn't backed by these things, then it means nothing.

[amortelito]

"o" doesn't mean male, La Real Academia Española has a great explanation about the use and origin of the language. The language already is inclusive because "o" refers to everyone, is the female which is a special category. In fact, when we say "todo" you don't automatically assume it refers to only the male entities in the group. Todo, latino, it includes everyone.
Nobody is saying that language can't changes, and changes in language come from the common use.
this is literally so new that is incredibly surreal people get so offended for not having immediate acceptance and comprehension. It requires deeper changes in the society psyche other than being an imposition by a small group of people on the internet. I would worry much more about education, civism, and injustice in the everyday life.

I personally don't talk to myself with female pronouns but I couldn't care less about people referring to me with male or female, words don't matter as much as actions, I'm not a label. So no, I'm not some straight ignorant person refusing to evolve and be inclusive.

A-weirder-girl, true I think that nobody is even questioning the existence of a range of genders instead of two and the respect we should have. And I totally think the same as Diego and A_Toad.

[fischhead]

Well, I don't want to derail the thread but to emphasize kindness … that kind of goes hand in hand with inclusion yeah? Like we want to teach kids not to ridicule the foreign child simply for being different. Or teach kids not to disregard the needs and wants of those less financially fortunate than themselves. That's all a part of inclusion.

So I can understand the push for gender-neutral terminology, it's all psychology really.
But certainly the people who bullied OP shouldn't be lauded for forcing their ideals in aggressive ways.

Those are definitely valuable lessons to be learned, but I emphasize kindness because it's a character trait while inclusion is a practice. Without genuine kindness, inclusion is superficial and can even lead to exclusion. Case in point, the TC was treated like dirt so other people could feel good about themselves. Ultimately, my point was that building a person's character will help prevent many instances like these, and even open the door for meaningful acceptance. Does that explain my position more clearly?