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Pronoun Trouble at Starbucks
All I wanted was a double-espresso. Instead, I unintentionally ignited a firestorm. It happened at my local Starbucks on a Saturday afternoon. I placed my order with a teenage cashier who wore a name tag reading “She.”
“Thank you Shea,” I said. “Is that how it’s pronounced?”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Your name.” I pointed to her name tag.
“No, that’s my pronoun.”
“Oh yes, of course.” I should have stopped here. But this was a learning moment and I thought I could educate myself.
“So what exactly is the significance of pronouns,” I asked.
“She is the pronoun I go by.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“It’s the pronoun I go by.”
“Yes, you said that. But why?” I didn’t realize I was stepping on an IED.
“Because I identify with she.”
Maybe I’m an aging ostrich who’s kept his head in the sand too long, but the pronoun controversy has eluded me. I’ve never been one to label people. To see so many people straining to label themselves seems odd. As I was about to learn, this is serious business.
“What do you mean identify with?”
