Misgendering is the act of purposefully or accidentally referring to a person with incorrect or non-preferred pronouns[1][2] or by another gender-related term that is wrong for them, such as the honorifics "Mr./Mister", "Miss", or "Mrs./Missus". Some transgender or non-binary people experience being misgendered on a daily basis. Using the correct terms for other people shows respect and support, unlike misgendering.[1]
Being misgendered has negative impacts on a person's mental health and daily life. It can make them feel demoralized, invalidated, unseen, or exhausted. The recipient has to decide if it is "worth it" to correct the other person.[1]
Misgendering can happen unintentionally when someone does not know another person's gender or makes a mistake.[1]
Etymology[]
The term "misgender" first appeared in 1989 which combined the prefix "mis-" with "gender".[3] The prefix "mis-" in particular means something is mistaken or incorrect, such as with the word "misprint".[4] The earliest recorded use of the term "misgendering" is from the 1970s.[5]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Misgendering: What it is and why it matters" by Sabra L. Katz-Wise on <health.harvard.edu>. Published 2021-07-23 by Harvard Health Publishing. (Archived on 2024-09-09)
- ↑ "What is misgendering and deadnaming?" on Childnet. Published 2022-10-19. (Archived on 2024-09-16)
- ↑ "Misgender Definition" on <merriam-webster.com>. (no backup information provided)
- ↑ "Mis- Definition" on <dictionary.com>. (Archived on 2023-10-10)
- ↑ "Oxford English Dictionary:Misgendering (noun)" on <oed.com>. (no backup information provided)