Meghan Daum
A Little Bit Okie, a Little Bit Wokey
Why did Elizabeth Warren find it necessary to declare her preferred gender pronouns?
The first time I saw someone indicate preferred gender pronouns was probably two years ago, on the footer of an email. The words “she/her/hers” appeared below my correspondent’s name, job title, work address, and telephone number. Having never met this person, I assumed she was either transgender or nonbinary in some way that would make such an indication useful. (Her first name was a typical female name.) At the very least, I imagined she was a woke twentysomething. Her job was in midlevel administration at a large university, the kind of position that could be held by just about any kind of person of any age.
When I eventually did meet her in real life, I discovered an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman, not particularly hip and certainly not ambiguous in her gender expression. I realized then that indicating her pronouns was mostly a way of signaling her allyship. Well-intended as her gesture may have been, it struck me as a bit of an overcompensation.
Two years later, overcompensation is the new norm, at least in some circles. And among progressive politicians, announcing your gender pronouns may be the new version of wearing an American flag…
