What is with so many of you referring to Manning with male pronouns

[Summer Hathaway]

316. The issue I have with the OP

has nothing to do with those who think they know better than Manning what gender pronouns are appropriate.

My issue has been the fact that the OP took it upon herself to dictate that there was a DU deadline for using the pronoun 'he' instead of 'she' - and couldn't wait to unleash her indignation on those who were still doing so despite their very valid explanations for doing so.

The very first reply to this thread was "Uh, she was a he 36 hours ago. Give me a day or two to adapt." And the OP's response: "It takes you so much time to type up she more than he?" And it went from there, with people saying they hadn't adapted yet being labelled as transphobes.

Had Manning's story only come into the public view a few weeks ago, or even a few months ago, a change in thinking of 'him' as 'her' would not have been that difficult a transition for most people here.

However, that is not the case. Manning was arrested in Iraq in May 2010, and has been a topic of conversation on DU - often on a daily basis - for over three years. To suggest that posters who have discussed 'Bradley/he' over that lengthy period of time are to be castigated for not having met the OP's self-declared deadline for no longer doing so is preposterous on its face.

THAT type of behavior is what trivializes an important issue - declaring that a poster's all-too-understandable usage of the same terms they have used for three-plus years is to be belittled, bemoaned, and "called out" as being insensitive, lazy, lacking in empathy, or "defending transphobia" within less than 48 hours of Manning's request to be identified as female.

Per the OP: "when i learnt her preferred pronoun i adapted. you shouldn't mock someone's transition, its no joke. In other words, anyone still using the now un-preferred pronoun within less than two days of the 'preferred pronoun' being requested by Manning is 'mocking someone's transition'.

My issue in THIS thread isn't with those who have steadfastly refused to adapt. Had the OP focused on that attitude, this would be another discussion entirely.

But the OP's replies to those who have explained that they are still making the transition from thinking of Manning as a male - which Manning has presented as for the three-plus years of being discussed here - to being female has been that their empathy is suspect in that they haven't complied with HER self-declared deadline for making that transition.

As I stated earlier, there are many good, decent people who need time to digest information and adapt. The OP has given no quarter to such people - having been too busy looking at her Hall Monitor watch and declaring that time has run out for everyone to adapt, and anyone caught using the 'he' pronoun is now to be accused of transphobia.

Paring down anyone's true feelings on a topic to meeting an arbitrary deadline for using certain pronouns doesn't serve anyone's purpose - not the trans-gendered, not those who are willing to fight to have the rights of the trans-gendered recognized, not those who will
cast their votes for representatives who recognize those rights.

The only purpose this OP has served is to declare herself the final arbiter of WHEN the use of 'she' rather than 'he' is acceptable, and to announce the cut-off point for doing so as final and not to be argued with under any circumstances.

And those who have decided to unquestionably accept the OP's 'deadline', and join in the demeaning of others who have fallen short of following the OP's demand for meeting that deadline, are a perfect example of the term "sheeple".