Penna Dexter

The Associated Press announced updates to its Stylebook, providing journalists with direction for referring to transgender and gender fluid people. The 2017 AP Stylebook approves the use of “they,” “them,” and “their” to refer to individual transgender people and also to people who do not identify with either gender.

Paula Foke, lead editor of the AP Stylebook elaborated, saying, “We offer new advice for two reasons; recognition that the spoken language uses ‘they’ as singular and we also recognize the need for a pronoun for people who don’t identify as a ‘he’ or a ‘she.’”

When I first read of this action I thought, OK that makes sense —  AP has already stated it does not want its stories to include gender neutral pronouns like “ze” and “xe.” These are way too unfamiliar and confusing, even though some in the transgender movement prefer them.

And readers know what is meant when a reporter writes something like, “The new law requires a transgender person to use the bathroom that conforms with their biological sex.” Even though “their” is plural, using it to refer to just one person works here.

But there’s more to this, as I learned when I looked at the reaction of Genderqueer advocate Jacob Tobia who welcomed the decision, saying, “It’s an important step forward for gender equality and feminist empowerment.”

I took a little trip to Jacob Tobia’s website. Jacob has hairy legs, red lipstick, nail polish, and a beard. When I began to read Jacob’s bio, I got it. It reads, “Named in 2016’s OUT 100, Jacob made their debut on the national stage when they were interviewed by Laverne Cox as part of MTV’s The T Word.” (underlines mine)

The bio continues, “Jacob has captivated audiences at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and LGBTQ conferences across the country with their message of gender empowerment and social change.”

Jacob Tobia self-identifies not as “he” or “she,” but as “they.”

Confused yet? Get ready.