So I’ve realized that in conversations I’ll use traditional terms for men as general terms for both genders, both singularly and for groups. I always mean it well, but I’ve been thinking that it’s not as inclusive to women/trans people.
For example I would say:
“What’s up guys?” “How’s it going man?” "Good job, my dude!” etc.
Replacing these terms with person, people, etc sounds awkward. Y’all works but sounds very southern US (nowhere near where I am located) so it sounds out of place.
So what are some better options?
Dude
So I’ve seen this a lot, but I’m Gen-X and dude was always masculine to me. I support use of dude as gender-neutral, but it’s hard for me to do it naturally because my brain is so locked into dude as gendered.
Aerosmith ain’t helping the situation.
(Also - some of the recent comments on that video are annoyingly predictable swipes at current issues. You have been warned.)
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Aerosmith ain’t helping the situation.
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
wait, is “buddy” gendered?
I like to mix it up. but language is context dependent. “buddy” is a go-to of mine, and feels entirely gender neutral.
“my people” is good for plural.
“friend” is good as long as you have the right rhythm with it. Like, you know, in the second person, like “hello, friend.”
“bro” obviously doesn’t work, but I have casually referred to trans friends as “broham” and they didn’t seem to mind. I don’t do it often, but sometimes mixing in a good bro pun is more fun that way… go a little over the top, call somebody brobrahk brobrahma, nobody’s going to be thinking that you’re implying gender, it’s an equally ridiculous term to call anybody by. Similarly, although context dependent, there are implicitly feminine words you can use, although some of them can be degrading in the wrong context. “Gurl,” “bitch,” and “slut” can work, as long as it’s ridiculous enough in context not to be taken seriously. I’m a guy, I’ve had friends call me these. “Gurl” might not be the best for a nonbinary friend or a trans man friend, so be careful with it.
I don’t know, I only have a few nonbinary friends, I guess, and I mostly refer to most of them by their names.
Guys is probably the most neutral of the ones you mentioned.
What’s up carbon based earthlings.
Fellow bipedal meat-things.
Earthlings is the only valid option
Earthicans
Earthletes.
I prefer humanoids. One can never be too careful…
I’ve started using “hello chums”
lemmies
“What is up, my mammals?”
“What’s up everypony?”
Cheese bags.
“YOU PEOPLE” 😂 I’m kidding
I like what they use on the Bananas Podcast. “Guys, gals, and non-binary pals.”
Peeps
Dudes is fine - folks and yall also work. I use yall all the time even though I’m now in Canada and have never lived in the US south.
Guys, I think, is still a bit too gender associated but it’s borderline. Man is often used in a gender neutral manner but it is very easy to misinterpret and a transwoman could reasonably assume you’re trying to troll them.
You’ve also got fella and feller, I think the latter one is more gender neutral than the former.
