Trans affirming linguistics

1. Trans affirming linguistics Kirby Conrod University of Washington @kirbyconrod

2. ABD PhD candidate fifth year • Nonbinary/agender • Started social and biomedical transition in grad school • Experiences with being misgendered drew me to researching pronouns • Encountering linguistics research that “can’t account for” my existence drew me to sociolinguistics About me

3. First GP: Pronominal Relative Clauses • Second GP: Pronouns and Misgendering • Dissertation • Predicative pronouns; change in singular they; sociopragmatics of pronouns; syntax of pronouns • Talks: sociolinguistic methods around sex; changes in singular they; alternations of pronouns; pronouns and misgendering • Soon: learning / learnability; nonbinary speakers in gendered languages My research story

4. Misgendered by students and faculty • Responses to corrections: • I’m trying but it’s hard • Don’t correct me in front of students • Publicly calling me Stalinist • The GOOD: • Students this quarter only used singular they in teaching evals (even negative ones) • More public understanding/awareness of singular they (supported by my research & others) trans experiences in linguistics

5. Put your pronouns on your nametag, in your email signature, etc. – normalize! • Get GOOD at being flexible with pronouns so that you won’t misgender your students or colleagues. Practice! • Correct others (especially senior scholars) who misgender (anyone, not just students or linguists) • Call out transphobic comments when you see them (especially from senior scholars) • Approach foundational literature with a critical eye, seek out logical problems in textbooks and discuss them openly and carefully • Use this power as an instructor, reviewer, editor, researcher • Include trans authors in your syllabi, etc Want more trans linguists?

6. Seek out peers at other institutions (network @ conferences, FB groups, Twitter) • Be prepared to do a little bit of educating – but don’t let them derail you from your actual research interests • Cis advisors can be empathetic and supportive (especially if they have lived experience with prejudice of other kinds) • If your advisor is not growing and learning, switch advisors (earlier rather than later) Are you a trans linguist?

7. Don’t start with a transphobic research question • Un-conflate sex and gender in your mind and your experiment design • And don’t just then chalk something up to sex if gender doesn’t explain it (cfmy GURT talk) • Be thoughtful about discussing gendered language (e.g. pronouns, gendered verb endings, etc.) – if you can, look into how trans people are using that language • Get input from trans scholars on trans issues (and pass it on to your students – not just the trans ones but all of them!). Not doing transphobic research

8. More resources about pronouns: https://pronounsday.org/resources • Trans linguistics bibliography: http://www.lalzimman.com/transbibliography.html • Considerations for Research with Trans Subjects and Communities: http://www.trans-academics.org/considerations_research_t • Recommendations for research with trans subjects: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19419899.2018.1434558 • (WIP) – Nonbinary language annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19rBG6ZDhr-0rsNSmP7lJ-I6CzYpc0JztrdQkAG1o6qc/edit?usp=sharing resources