# What's your gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2000, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490 "2000-11-16T18:40:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/1 "2000-11-16T18:40:20Z")
When I refer to a previous SDopper, how should I do it: s/he, s/he/his or it, its? There is no gender indication. The are no directions in the “Rules”. Usually, if the gender is unknown, as in: “As senator XYZ said …”, we use masculine: “…in his remarks…”. But in these PC times, I’m confused. Help… ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/2 "2000-11-16T18:44:52Z")
I prefer “Male-chauvinist pig,” or just “Pig,” for short. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/3 "2000-11-16T18:57:12Z")
We have no hard and fast rules; generally, I tend to use the unwieldy “he/she” and “his/her”, etc. I also think that you’ll get a much better response from this question in either General Questions or About This Message Board. While you’re asking about this message board per se, I’ll toss it over to Manny in General Questions because we don’t have any _specific_ policies or suggestsions for this board on how to gende your sentences. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/4 "2000-11-16T19:29:26Z")
Here’s Cecil on the subject [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_245b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_245b.html) Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/5 "2000-11-16T19:50:45Z")
The most elegant solution I found to this was offered in the preface to _The Bell Curve_. The authors suggested that for a non-specific person, an author should use his or her own gender. So, for instance, I – being male – should have typed the previous phrase thus: “…an author should use **his** own gender.” Of course, sometimes it would be ridiculous: If I were to say “If someone is pregnant, he should not smoke”, in which case I should, of course, say **she**. Though I admit, to me, it feels kind of funny if the gender used does not reflect my actual gender. **Ukelele Ike** once referred to me as “ **S/he** ”. What am I, a hermaphrodite or something? I think everyone should post **his** gender in “profile”. ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/6 "2000-11-16T19:56:03Z")
Ulk! Bad spelling today. Of course, **Ukulele**. Common error, I know, but still no excuse… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/7 "2000-11-17T03:23:33Z")
Why does it matter so much to you which bundle of social standards an individual follows? What about people who don’t fall neatly within one of the two standard boxes? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/8 "2000-11-17T03:33:29Z")
IMHO we need a gender-neutral pronoun in common usage in the English language… I propose that we simply use “e” when the gender is unclear. For example, “I think e’s right when e says that party ballons should all be green.” ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/9 "2000-11-17T05:54:44Z")
So, s/he: “e”. Which letter should be used for her/his? “h”? Like who, Kelly? We have “it” for those who don’t fall… I think, I’d follow Scylla’s example, just will take it one step further: “hog” for males’, "saw for females, or “dog” for males, “bitch” for females. Scratch, “as senator XYZ said in whose remarks”?. Your solution does not work for stupid me (Corrado, am I allowed to insult myself?). ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/10 "2000-11-17T06:09:11Z")
If s/he = “e” Then her/his = “er”! Thus: “I think e has er head up er ass!” I’m a genius!! (Bow, bow…) ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/11 "2000-11-17T06:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peace \* > \*\*So, s/he: “e”. > Which letter should be used for her/his? “h”? > \*\* “e” is the Spivakian nominative neuter pronoun. If I recall Spivak correctly, the other forms are “em” (objective), “eir” (possessive), and “emself” (reflexive). See _The Joy of TeX_ by Michael Spivak. I actually think Spivak capitalized all of the forms, but most people who use them do not follow that practice. See, e.g., the [Rules of Agora Nomic](http://www.dfw.net/~ccarroll/agora/rules/). > [@](#): > > \*\*Like who, Kelly? We have “it” for those who don’t fall… > \*\* If you call me an ‘it’ I will smack you. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2000, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-gender/41490/12 "2000-11-17T15:22:13Z")
Brains in jars! We post like we’re brains in jars! We don’t need no stinkin’ gender! Your br… oh never mind.