In a recent TalkTV segment, anchor Julia Hartley-Brewer stirred up controversy by misgendering her guest. Shivani Dave, a journalist, was invited to discuss the CASS Review, an independent evaluation of NHS gender identity services for children and young people.
Unfortunately, the conversation took an unfortunate turn when Hartley-Brewer incorrectly referred to Dave using she/her pronouns.
Dave politely reminded Julia, “Good afternoon. You know my pronouns are they/them. How are you doing?”
“You can choose what you want to call yourself. But you don’t get to require me to use incorrect grammar and factually incorrect things,” Hartley-Brewer said.
“You’re not a plural. You’re one person, and you’re a female person. So, I will use ‘she’ and ‘her,’ thank you very much,” She added.
Dave redirected the conversation toward the review, remarking, “Do what you like, I guess.” They emphasized that using they/them pronouns for an individual is not grammatically incorrect. Additionally, Dave expressed a desire for others to employ the appropriate pronouns when referring to them respectfully.
During that moment, Hartley-Brewer inquired of Dave whether it is “disrespectful to employ accurate, factual grammar.” The anchor further mentioned that she is utilizing “correct pronouns for an individual woman” featured on her show.
Dave emphasized that they were not a single woman but rather a “very special, non-binary, trans person.” The term “special” was in response to the comment made by Hartley-Brewer prior to Dave’s appearance on the show. The anchor asserted that individuals embracing various labels often appreciate feeling unique.
“Okay. I’m not special. I’m just a boring, old, heterosexual, married woman. But you know, sorry about that. We’re not allowed to do that anymore,” Hartley-Brewer said.
The video, which was posted on Instagram a few hours ago, has garnered considerable attention. It has amassed numerous views and received a flurry of likes. Additionally, people have engaged actively with the post, leaving a plethora of responses.
USERS REACT TO THIS POST:
First user wrote, “So disgusting. It’s not that hard to use they/them pronouns for one person. We do it all the time if we don’t know the gender of a person.”
“The way this got me fuming,” expressed an Instagram user, Second user added
“Disgusting! If a person wants to be called they/them that is their right as a person,” Third. user responded.
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