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i’m not specifying school or name (apart from the fact that i’m in middle school), as i don’t really want her to see this, but it’s already the end of the year and we have no more club meetings, and i’m in eighth grade so i won’t see her next year, so i may as well get this off my chest.
one day, i decided to put my neopronouns (xe/xem, end/ends) in my zoom name instead of what i usually put (my they/he pronouns), and while i do understand how that can be confusing for a teacher, i at least wish she could’ve tried to use them, or she could’ve used they/them if she didnt know how to refer to me. but no, she used she/her for me three times in the same sentence, and when one of my friends corrected her, she refused to apologize, saying that she was only human and that she’d make mistakes. she also compared misgendering me to people spelling her name wrong, which isn’t even slightly the same thing.
but this isn’t the first time it’s happened, either; it also happened a few meetings ago. at this point, was it really a mistake? like, you made a club for diverse students, as a cishet white woman, and are disrespecting and speaking over the diverse students in your club. then what’s even the point of the club?
i’m not rlly looking for advice here, just super frustrated and tryna see if other ppl can relate.
- mercury, end/xe/they/he
I know you said you weren't looking for advice, but maybe it might be helpful if this happens again to speak to someone higher than your teacher like a school counselor or principal and have them explain the importance of using your correct pronouns. Also, I'm sorry that you had this experience and hope that it doesn't happen to you down the road. It is possible the teacher was confused, but with the reminders they had from you and your classmates, they should have been able to get it right. You do have every right to have the respect shown to you to use your correct pronouns. Call or text us anytime at 888-222-2228.
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