Another deadly mass shooting occurred over a hot Fourth of July weekend, which led to some people acting in the worst possible ways. Bette Midler, a singer, actor, and environmentalist, tweeted on the holiday that inclusive language exterminates women. Jordan Peterson, a psychologist, was previously suspended by Twitter for making disparaging remarks about trans actor Elliot Page while tweeting about the “Umbrella Academy.”
Peterson talked about the past when Pride was a “sin,” made mention of a “criminal surgeon” who operated on Page, and dead-named the actor. (Deadnaming is the practice of addressing someone by a name they have requested not be used.)
After sharing a screenshot of Peterson’s divisive tweet, which Ben Shapiro and other conservative commentators had also done, “The Rubin Report” host Dave Rubin was also suspended by Twitter. Twitter said that if Peterson deleted the offending tweet, his account might be restored. Peterson stated that deleting it would be preferable to him. He later removed it.
On Fox Nation’s “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on July 4, musician Macy Gray also made transphobic remarks, saying, “Just because you go change your parts, doesn’t make you a woman, sorry.”
All of this happened within a matter of days, and only a few weeks had passed since the Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which caused many to worry that marriage equality and other rights for queer people might be next. It’s unclear why celebrities feel the need to comment so frequently, but the snide remarks of the elderly Midler, Gray, Peterson, and others ignore a crucial aspect of language: its adaptability. Whether or not baby boomers are aware of it, language changes over time and will continue to do so.
Associated: Stevie Nicks’ abortion and your right to make your own decisions
The push to use inclusive language when talking or writing about reproductive rights, which are urgently back in the spotlight, is the cause of the sudden rash of disparaging remarks about trans people. Abortion is a subject that the media frequently covers, and American citizens frequently post on social media. But many of these posts and some of the stories omit important participants in the debate.
The Roe v. Wade decision’s reversal affects people of all genders. Not just women require abortions or are impacted by abortion-related problems, such as infertility.
Women require abortions. youngsters do. People who identify as trans, intersex, nonbinary, and a variety of other people do. The key word here is “people,” a straightforward term but one that some find awkward to use. “When conversations about abortion reduce it to a “women’s issue” or an issue only for people who can carry pregnancies, we exclude a wide swath of people,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) writes.
But Midler did just that, as she stated in her tweet: “Our rights to our bodies, our lives, and even our names are being taken away! We are no longer referred to as “women” but rather as “people who give birth,” “people who menstruate,” or even “people with vaginas”! Never allow them to remove you!”
In Midler’s tweet, the only people who might be deleted are the ones she runs over. As a response, author Roxanne Gay said: “By using inclusive language to describe those who require abortion care, no one is attempting to erase women. No one is addressing you in any way other than how you prefer. That courtesy should be returned in kind.”
Another method of making things more difficult for someone is to exclude them from the conversation. This will cause people to stop thinking about them and to stop seeing them as being human and deserving of care or rights.
That sets off conservative pundits like Shapiro, who have long used tantrum-style videos to make Page a target. But given that the actor-singer has historically been a very vocal supporter of gay rights, some fans have been especially disappointed by Midler’s tweet. In her tweet, Midler, like author J.K. Rowling before her, adopts a position that is in line with that of trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFS), who do not advocate for the rights of trans women.
In line with the ACLU, “In the end, both the fights for LGBTQ+ and abortion rights are about defending our right to personal autonomy. However, they are also connected because lesbians, bisexuals, transgender, queer, and yes, some trans gay men, can become pregnant and should have control over when, how, and with whom we conceive as well as whether or not we remain pregnant.”
What’s the big deal about leaving people out of the abortion discussion? Receiving medical care is already incredibly challenging for trans people, queers, and other groups. It’s already challenging for kids to get abortions that could save their lives. Another method of making things more difficult for someone is to exclude them from the conversation. This will cause people to stop thinking about them and to stop seeing them as being human and deserving of care or rights. When discussing abortion, we can certainly use words like “people” if we can use “vibes” and “cringe.”
People have had no issues for generations with calling someone what they want to be called and including them in conversations that do affect and concern them. After marriage, no one makes a big deal when a woman adopts a new name (although some still raise archaic eyebrows at those who adopt their spouse’s last name or refuse to do so). Nobody objects when immigrants occasionally use their names anglicized in America. Nobody gets upset over a nickname to the level of a pundit.
Language can change. It changes and expands constantly as we do. We stop using some words after learning they are hateful. We constantly incorporate new words into our vocabulary; the Oxford English Dictionary has recently added terms like “unvaxxed,” and Miriam Webster added terms like “deplatform” and “super-spreader” last year. When discussing abortion, we can certainly use words like “people” if we can use “vibes” and “cringe.” Transgender people and all other people can be addressed by their names.
