Updated pronoun usage

[conuly]

As I said, somebody in my life came out as nonbinary and this involved a change in pronouns. I'm tentatively happy to report that I'm now up to 25 - 33% correctly getting the right pronoun on the first try, slightly higher if they're within earshot. It's slow, but it's progress.

It only took me a few months to force myself to say twenty-whatever instead of two-thousand-whatever for the year, sooooooooo hopefully this will be just that fast.

Comments

[lydy]

Yay! I have two people in my life that now use "they" and I'm getting there. In at least one case, they clearly appreciate the effort, and are not cross with me when I get it wrong, especially if I immediately correct. And it makes them so happy when I get it right, so there's a real incentive. Yes, it's a bit of work, but it's work with a tangible benefit which brings more joy into the world, so it also makes me happy when I get it right.

[conuly]

I just hope they stick with this pronoun. I would be quite surprised if they changed their mind about their gender identity, but it's somewhat within the realm of possibility they'll decide they prefer some other pronoun, and if so I guess I'd just have to suck it up and deal but it'd be hard.

(Also hope there's never a name change involved. I use their name when actually speaking to them, not just about them. That'd be harder on them during the adjustment period.)

[lydy]

Yeah, one of my friends who changed their pronoun also changed their name, and I've known them since they were two. The name change is actually harder than the pronoun.

[altamira16]

These changes in people that you have known a long time are difficult. I was particularly graceless when a friend that I knew through grad school went through a gender identity transition? I am not even sure I have the right words for it.