The other day I was in a meeting when the following conversation occurred between two stale, pale cis-men:
Man 1: “Which guy is presenting tomorrow?”
Man 2: “Actually, a woman is presenting.”
Man 1: “Isn’t ‘guy’ a gender neutral term now?”
Man 2: “Yeah, that’s true.”
Man 1: “I think it’s great that ‘guy’ is gender neutral now! It makes it so much easier to talk about anyone!”
They never even thought to ask any of the four women present if they feel comfortable being referred to as a ‘guy’.
I can’t even begin to stress this enough: DON’T DO THIS!
‘Guy/s’ is not, and never was, a gender neutral term. It’s just another way in which we erase and misgender women. I don’t feel comfortable being referred to as ‘guy’, and I would have said so if either of them thought to ask me.
Use one of the following instead: Team, everyone, folks, people, friends, peeps.
Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash