Letter: We are all a ‘who,’ not a ‘that’
Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Mel Van De Graaff has become the first adult to receive gender non-binary markers on their government documents, Sept. 26, 2018. Van De Graaff has an "X" on their newly issued driver license and birth certificate rather than an "F" for female or an "M" for male. They spent more than $4,000 and months of time convincing a judge that Utah statute did not prohibit them from receiving gender non-binary markers.
Responding to the Oct. 8 headlines "Nicknames 'offend' Jesus" and "Male, female … X," I recommend that we all consider a fine point of writing to say "people who" rather than "people that."
In that front-page story, Christopher Wharton, attorney and Salt Lake City councilman, is quoted as saying, "Mel wasn't the first person that had come to me about [the vagueness of the portion of Utah law that seems to allow for gender marker changes].”
In this time of gut-wrenching division among people — women and men, members of the Utah Church (my shorthand to avoid offending Jesus with my usual references to dear friends as Mormons), Republicans and Democrats, and other labels — I want us to take care in recognizing humans in all of our manifestations. We are people who deserve respect, not merely entities that express opinions.
Flora Shrode, North Logan
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