What’s in a Word? Why Language Matters When it Comes to Sexuality and Gender

I have something of a love/hate relationship with language around sexuality and gender. Language can be used as a weapon, as a tool of oppression and dismissal (I think of the times I’ve seen trans friends visibly wince when someone pointedly uses the wrong pronoun at them); it can be used to liberate and expand people’s ways of thinking about gender and sexuality. It can also be used to jumble a message and bring productive conversation to a standstill. I’ve been thinking about striking balanc