15 True Stories from the Oak
The Feminine Name
There is an odd thing with my name. People will hear me speak, and know my name, and think, “Oh, what a lovely girl.” It is rather unfortunate, because the “a” at the end of my name seems to tell people that I am feminine, and should be addressed “she” and “her”.
In the early days of my experience here, no one would blink an eye when I was addressed as a she. I would of course, always correct them, and then they would hang their heads in embarrassment. Once redeneck even began to flirt with me, before realizing that I was in fact a boy, which was by far the funniest moment; his face blushed profusely for having flirted with a man unknowingly.
To prevent further occurrences, though, I went so far as to make a public announcement in December. I said, “I just want everyone to know, I am a guy!”
Since then, occasionally someone will call me a she, but a strange thing now happens. The instant that pronoun is out of their mouths, all those present will correct them, reminding the person that I am a “he.” It seems that people do my job for me, correcting when it is needed, and glaring at those that mistake gender.
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