poetry-is-ephemeral-so-are-we:
the most succinct explanation of why some lesbians use they/them or he/him pronouns is that pronouns are very much like names, in that they are culturally established signifiers we use to refer to someone else, and almost always those signifiers are gendered.
You’ll see a lot of lesbians start to go by androgynous or masculine names (or nicknames) to feel more comfortable. Sam, Pat, Chris, Jay, Moe, etc. are all really common chosen names among lesbians for that reason.
I also knew an older butch– my parents’ age– who went by Otter (& her femme partner went by Kitty) because they decided to just depart from standard names entirely– and I see younger lesbians using neo-pronouns in very similar ways for very similar reasons.
A lesbian who was raised with the name Christina and the pronouns she/her/hers deciding he’s more comfortable with the name Chris and he/him/his pronouns to reflect his complex relationship to womanhood is not a huge confusing leap, it’s pretty normal depending on what circles you’re in.
Gender is complex, and gender nonconforming lesbians, butches, and femmes have often navigated gender on their own terms to find ways of being comfortable in their bodies, relationships, and lives.
is this just completely erasing trans guys & portraying as “lesbians who use he/him” pronouns or is this stating a completely different fact not concerning trans people? because a trans guy is not a “lesbian that prefers different pronouns”??
this is stating a completely different fact, though I wouldn’t say it doesn’t concern trans people.
Trans men are men and this post is about lesbians and not trans men. However, lesbians can be nonbinary or trans, so it concerns trans women and nonbinary women-aligned folks. Trans women are women (including if they date women, they’re butch, they use an androgynous or culturally masculine name, or use he/him pronouns).
Basically, if someone tells you they’re a woman and/or a lesbian, believe them no matter how they dress, what name they go by, or what pronouns they use. They’re the authority on their own gender & sexuality.
bongdanceking 