How to talk about transgenderness, disability, orientation and more
alexander savina
Recently, more and more talk of political correctness is heard. Attitudes toward many issues and problems are changing, and the language is changing along with it - no wonder that phrases and expressions that have never been harmed by now pay close attention. New rules are born before our eyes, and on some issues there is still no consensus. One thing is clear so far: if you are in doubt or are not sure of your words, it is best to ask the person himself how he would like you to turn to him - this is much better than if a person hears a phrase or appeal that is unpleasant to him. With the help of experts, we understand how to properly discuss complex topics and which vocabulary is best to use.
Sexual orientation
Polina Demidova from the Moscow LGBT Stimul initiative group notes that in relation to homosexual men it is appropriate to use the words “gay”, “homosexual”, but not “homosexual”: “This indicates the diagnosis„ homosexuality “, which WHO excluded from the list diseases in 1993. "
With women of homosexual orientation, according to Polina Demidova, the situation is more complicated: “In Russia, the word lesbian still has a negative meaning. Inside the community, lesbians often use the universal gay, but, in my opinion, this is not a completely healthy position, which speaks more about the internal denial of one’s own identity. I myself recently stopped experiencing discomfort when I used the word lesbian in relation to myself, and it was not easy for me, but the reclamation mechanism should work here when a vulnerable group Assigns an offensive expression that gives new meaning, and thus the word loses its negative connotation. Yes, I am a lesbian. It is a fact. Just as a fact is that the grass is green, the Coca-Cola can is red, and a square is a regular quadrilateral, the fact is that homosexual women are lesbians. This should not be offensive or offensive. But this is my personal position. "
For bisexual people, the words “bisexual”, “bisexual” or short “bi” can be used. At the same time, according to Polina Demidova, there are also nuances: “Since female homosexuality is not so condemned by society as male, bisexual men are more often called gay, but this is fundamentally wrong - this desire to hang the label and bring the whole society to a binary system where there are men and women and they can be either heterosexual or homosexual. "
There is another small rule: you should not use sexual orientation as a label or as an insult - it only contributes to stigmatization.
Transgender
A few years ago, the organizers of the LGBT film festival "Side by Side" created a brochure for journalists, which is suitable for anyone who wants to speak correctly with representatives of the LGBT community. A detailed English guide is also available for the LGBT organization GLAAD.
There are some general short rules. “In relation to transgender people, it is acceptable to use the term“ transgender man ”if a person associates himself with a male gender identity, or“ transgender woman ”if with a female, says Polina Demidova from the Moscow LGBT-Stimulus initiative group. "Transsexual", as well as the expression "sex change", because transgender does not change gender - it makes a transgender transition to the state with which it associates itself. " Transgender transition is a complex and complex process that does not necessarily include medical operations, which is why the phrase “sex change” should not be used. In English, it is not recommended to use the word "transgender" as a noun, but in Russian it is appropriate.
The main principle is to address the person as he would like to. “If the task is to address the person correctly and respectfully, but you don’t know how to do it, it’s best to ask the interlocutor about which expressions are acceptable for him and which are not,” adds Polina Demidova. The same applies to pronouns: you need to use those that your interlocutor uses when speaking about yourself. This rule works regardless of whether you are talking about a person before or after a transgender transition: for example, when talking about Caitlin Jenner, we can say that "before the transgender transition she was known as Bruce." You cannot say "a man who became a woman" - this phrase implies that a person has drastically changed his identity, although in reality a person has a gender identity all the time, he just may not be aware of it until a certain point.
Intersex
We rarely think that the biological floor is a spectrum. Intersex, or intersex people, are people who do not fit into the binary norm, whose biological sex from birth cannot be uniquely defined as male or female. As is the case with transgender people, intersex should be addressed in the way that they themselves use.
“You shouldn’t say intersexuality because the word intersex is related only to the biological sex and not to sexuality,” said Irina, an intersex activist from the organization Intersex Russia. “You shouldn’t use the word hermaphrodite gender, third sex. Some intersex people can use the word hermaphrodite in a positive way, speaking of themselves, and this is their right; the rest is better to refrain from using it. Instead of the words illness, diagnosis, "Intersex variation" " .
You can read more about what phrases and wordings are appropriate for intersex people, for example, here.
Color of the skin
This is one of the most difficult topics, and perhaps the only rule here is to try to avoid any mention of skin color: more often they are not needed and do not add anything new and important to what you are trying to say. "In principle, it is very hard to imagine a context in which you would have to appeal to skin color to describe any person or group of people (you can hardly divide your friends into groups according to their skin shades, nose size, etc.), - notes Ilya Venyavkin, director of educational programs for the InLiberty project. “Such optics can refer to colonial practices, which assumed that some races are better and more perfect than others. And the second important consideration: political correctness standards are the result first public debate in which different groups can claim that they are insulted certain wording. I think that such a statement is enough to make you abandoned these formulations or began to use them cautiously and carefully. "
If in the context it is still important to mention this, then it is better to pay attention to the origin of a person or a specific country: the UN, for example, uses the wording “people of African descent” and “people of Asian descent”.
Autism, Down Syndrome
Since the end of the eighties, in English, people-first language has been used, an approach that emphasizes that a person is always more than his characteristic, diagnosis or state. This principle is gradually taking root in the Russian language, although it is not the only possible one. “In official and scientific publications, the phrase“ people with autism ”or“ a person with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) ”is commonly used. It is called“ first people ”and emphasizes that a person is not limited to his diagnosis,” says Maria Bozovic, An officer of the Foundation for Assistance in Solving Autism Problems in Russia “Coming Out.” However, there are adults with ASD who believe that autism is an integral part of their personality. They call themselves “autistic” or more often “autistic people.” Such an approach is called “first identity. "But there is and people who are offended if you call them “autistic.” So it's best to always pay attention to how a person speaks about himself and respect his choice. "
Irina Menshenina, Director General of the Love Syndrome Charitable Foundation, notes that Down Syndrome cannot be called a disease, although this term is still used in the medical environment: “Down Syndrome should not be cured or cured of it. Down Syndrome is a human condition.” Maria Bozovic agrees with this position: “You shouldn’t say больн autistic patients’ or а autistic ’.’ Autism is a neurological condition with which, as a rule, they live their whole life, and human life is not one continuous suffering. So it’s necessary to put a stigma on the whole life of another person. And, please, never call children “autyats” - this is offensive to both the child and his parents. "
Irina Menshenina gives several more rules: “You shouldn’t reduce Down Syndrome to the word Down, because in our country, unfortunately, it is used as abusive. It can offend. You shouldn’t use the recently emerged form of“ Downyoung ” best motives, it is better to use respectful "child / kid / girl / boy with Down syndrome", that is, the same words as for any other guys. And, of course, it is unacceptable to use the word "down" to emphasize the negative assessment of the average person. It emphasizes neve ETS speaker and deliberate insult to people with Down syndrome. "
All these rules can be used in talking about any other human features, such as cerebral palsy.
Disability
Natalya Sokolova, director for PR and fundraising of the Foundation for the Support of the Deaf-Blind Deaf, says that when discussing the topic of disability there are two acceptable formulations - “people (persons) with disabilities” and “people with disabilities”. “If there are doubts about the use of the word" invalid "(it is used for brevity, most often in colloquial speech), then it is better to say" persons with disabilities ". This language meets all moral and ethical standards and does not offend such a person. most we do not say that a person is doomed, but we say that he is a person, but has health restrictions, "she believes.
The regional public organization of people with disabilities "Perspective" has a stricter opinion. In her recommendations on how to address people with disabilities and talk about them, the phrase “people with disabilities” is suggested, but the common term “disabled”, which is used in documents, is not advised to use in everyday life. In ROOI "Perspective" they also propose, when comparing people with disabilities with others, to use the phrase "person without disability" instead of "healthy" or "normal."
Hearing disability
"According to the WHO, about 10% of the Russian population has some kind of hearing problems. This means that hearing impairments are different, ranging from light, including temporary, to complex and permanent, already falling into the category of deafness. Therefore, different, depending on the state of hearing and social context: people with hearing impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, hearing impaired ... - says Tamara Shatula, leading specialist of the press and information department of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. - Only one taboo - “deaf and dumb.” n e corresponds to reality, since even in the absence of oral speech, the deaf use sign language and, therefore, can express themselves. "
The recommendations of the ROOI Perspective suggest using the expressions "deaf", "hearing impaired person", "person with hearing disability" or "person using sign language" and do not advise using the expression "deaf" or "person with hearing impairment". In addition, the organization believes that you should not be ashamed of phrases like “See you” or “Did you hear?” If you address those who cannot see or hear: “People with hearing or visual disabilities use the same familiar words because they also hear and see, just differently. "
Vision disability
"According to the World Health Organization, there are 39 million blind and 246 million visually impaired people in the world. There are about 35 thousand visually impaired children in Russia, three thousand of whom are totally blind. Of course, their lives are more difficult than those of normal people. Yes they need our help. But not at all in humiliating pity, "said Lyudmila Shevtsova, a trusted representative of the charitable foundation" Illustrated Books for Little Blind Children. " The organization notes that in different cases different wordings are used: one can say, for example, "blind people" or "people with poor eyesight."
In ROOI "Perspective", in addition, they also propose to use the expression "visually impaired person" or "person with visual disability" and reject the phrase "person with visual impairment". In addition, instead of "guide dog" it is more appropriate to say "guide dog".
Migration
Karina Kotova, an employee of the Civic Assistance Committee, believes that a correct discussion of the topic of migration helps a broader discussion about the problem and changes attitudes towards people: "Let us recall at least the illiterate and derogatory expression" person of Caucasian nationality ", which is believed to have been used first in police reports, and then it was widely replicated in the media and from there fell into our everyday speech, permanently entrenched in it. " The expression “person of Caucasian nationality” is inappropriate to use simply because there is no single Caucasian nationality - many nations live in this region.
Kotova says that the word "migrants", who are called to everyone who, due to unfavorable reasons, is forced to leave their place of residence, often causes negative associations, because it is often used with the word "illegal". “One can even say that in our consciousness the words“ migrants ”and“ illegal ”have become synonymous. This leads to a negative and derogatory attitude towards all people forced to leave their country,” she notes. “Therefore, in America and in Europe, for example, the number of uses of the word "illegal" has recently been decreasing. Instead, it is used, in particular, the term "undocumented" ("without documents"). It is curious that in Russia this process is still at the very beginning, so you can often come across the fact that phrase "undocumented migrant" translated into Russian again as „illegal migrant“. "
There are some established rules - instead of the word "guest worker", which is considered offensive, it is better to use "labor migrant". In addition, one should be attentive to the origin of a person - the habit of calling all migrants "Tajiks" is naturally offensive. And, of course, do not use the nationality of a person as a curse.