Are ‘Women’ Being Erased?
To the Editor: Re “The Other War Against Women,” by Pamela Paul (column, July 4): I don’t think “gender-neutral” language is neutral at all, and it’s divisive.
Women have fought to be called “women,” not “babes” or “dolls.” We’ve pointed out how women are objectified, and we’ve asked for respect for our whole selves.
That respect for the wholeness of being a woman and our dignity are stripped away by this “gender-neutral” language. We’re supposed to be “pregnant people” or “birthing people” or “people with uteruses.” This is objectification on a massive scale, as women are reduced to sexless people with certain body parts or specific functions.
It’s appalling. I respect that transgender people are at odds with their biological sex and prefer not to refer to it. But the vast majority of us have gender identities aligned with our biological sex.
