radical copyeditor

Last week someone asked me a good question about self-identity language. They basically wanted to know if it was okay for a trans person to call themself a "tranny" even if other trans folks consider that language oppressive -- and what the difference is (if any) for cis people who say, "'Cis' is oppressive! Don't call me cis!" Spoiler: Yes, a trans person can call themself a "tranny." No, it's not oppressive to call a cis person cis. Check out the full question and response here: https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2018/07/24/are-there-limits-to-self-identity-language/

[Image description: speech bubbles contrast examples of invalidating language versus validating language, under the heading “Avoiding Invalidating Language Traps.” For full image description, click here: https://radicalcopyeditor.com/avoiding-invalidating-language-traps-image-description/ ]

Image description available at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/diverse-image-description/

Text underneath reads: Regarding trans people: Trans and non-binary folks employ all sorts of wonderfully creative language to refer to our body parts, and it’s important that others respect and mirror that language. If you need to refer to our anatomy, find out what language we use and/or avoid gender-loaded words. Regarding people in general: Anatomy is not inherently female or male; words like ‘women’ and ‘men’ do not speak to universal truths about bodies or experiences. Decouple anatomy from identity in your language and keep trans and non-binary people in mind when considering who you’re actually talking about and how to refer to them.]

They/them/theirs has shot up in popularity in recent years as a personal pronoun for non-binary people. Despite what your third-grade English teacher might have told you, there is nothing incorrect about using they singularly. In fact, they is taking off in a way that ze or per or co or any of the hundreds of other invented pronouns never did precisely because of its existing “off-label” use as a singular pronoun (see 3.1). Many dictionaries have addressed and/or endorsed this use already, including Merriam-Webster, the Oxford English Dictionary, and the American Heritage Dictionary; the American Dialect Society voted singular they 2015 Word of the Year; and in March 2017 AP style got on board as well. When using singular they, verb conjugations follow the same rules as those for singular you: they did, they are, themself / you did, you are, yourself. Note that although many non-binary people go by they/them/theirs, many others go by different pronouns (see 2.4.1). If a non-binary person goes by ze/zir/zirs, for example, referring to zir using they/them/theirs is still an act of mispronouning. Note also that binary people’s potential discomfort with new word usage must not take priority over the pain non-binary people experience when we are mispronouned and/or misgendered. See Grammarly for more.]

[Image description: a paragraph of text about Trump's ban on trans people in the military with red corrections written in, including changing "transgenders" to "transgender," "transgendered women and men" to "transgender people of all genders," "normal" to "cisgender," "had a sex change" to "transitioned," and "biologically male" to "assigned male at birth."]

White supremacists are dangerous, immoral, and disturbing, but they are not "insane," "crazy," or "mental." The intersections of mental health, disability, and race are profound. Be a radical copyeditor and help your friends understand that mental health-related terms should not be metaphors or insults AND that white supremacists are not aberrations or rogue actors in an otherwise racism-free society. Read the full post: https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2017/08/22/stop-calling-white-supremacists-insane [Image description: graphic using speech bubbles to illustrate that when people say "insane white supremacists," "these KKK marches are crazy," "the USA has gone mad," and "racism is a mental illness," what they are really saying is "people with disabilities are abnormal," "people with mental health conditions are dangerous," "racism is irrational and isn't current reality," and "racism is caused by individuals, not systems of white supremacy."]

Fabulous headline.

What does "white supremacy" really mean? Full post at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2017/04/21/white-supremacy/

Radical vocabulary word of the day: populist. Full list at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know/

The first step of knowing what you're up against and fighting back is being able to recognize and name things for what they are. Know your repressive political vocab! Full definitions and sources at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know/

Today's radical vocabulary word of the day: misogyny. Full list at: https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know/

Today’s radical vocabulary word of the day: racist. Full list at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know

Today’s radical vocabulary word of the day: xenophobic. Full list at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know

Today’s radical vocabulary word of the day: normalize. Full list at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know

Today's radical vocabulary word of the day: post-truth. Full list at https://radicalcopyeditor.com/2016/12/22/post-election-words-to-know