After the previous weekend saw Pride take over the streets of Cape Town, a certain Tweet by Helen Zille, who had been snapped supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, came as a surprise to some.
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Said comment by Zille insinuated that the concept of gender pronouns is ‘wokus-pokus’, something not taken lightly by many LGBTQIA+ members and allies, and an unnecessary insight that many described as tone-deaf.
It started off when one user, Alexandra Hayes @Xandra_KH took to post something personal and uplifting to her Twitter account.
“Final piece of the puzzle” she started.
“After a mental breakdown and losing everything, I have a place to live, a steady job, debts paid and I have a bank card. I am happy and healthy and grateful to be alive and independent again” Hayes wrote.
Helen Zille responded in a way that initially seemed to be positive feedback until her final sentence struck.
“Good for you. Wonderful story when people go to the depths of the abyss and find their way out again. Just lose those wokus-pokus pronouns,” Zille wrote.
Woku-pokus pronouns, or wokus-pokus comment?
For those who aren’t familiar with the concept of gender pronouns, here’s a crash course.
Pronouns or gender pronouns refer to how people would like to be referred to. She/her, Him/he or they/them are some examples. Especially for the transgender community, using the correct pronouns is a way to make other people feel more comfortable in understanding the gender they identify with. It’s not limited to transgender people, however, and many who identify with different genders take pride in their pronouns.
As LBGT life Centre puts it, imagine if someone changed your pronouns. Ie: You identify with she/her and suddenly someone decided to call you he/him. Maybe you’d be unbothered, or maybe you’d feel frustrated.
Right, back to Zille.
Many users on Twitter offered criticism of Zille’s comment. An old way of thinking, a questionable stance with the LGBTQIA+ community and calling her input outright mean, were some of the comments dished out.
Twitter vs Helen Zille
Jenni Evans (@itchybyte) a journalist at News24 for one said:
“That is incredibly mean. You changed your own identity from Otta Helene to Helen and went against the identity expectations of the times by not using your husband’s surname Maree in your professional life. Your comment is so nasty.”
“What an odd statement!” Welcome to the 1950s and get back into the kitchen, Helen” -Tsunami, @Bluewave4
“Are we to deduce that your stance against wokus-pokus pronouns that support LGBTQIA+ people is also your stance against LGBTQIA+ people, of which the DA is full of? Asking as an LGBTQIA+ DA member,” said David Fourie, @david_fourie_za.
Just Phil, @philmanners decided that a picture really does speak a thousand words and shared a picture of superglue with the caption “found a new shade of lipstick for you.”
To someone who affirmed Helen’s comment, another user offered a quick English lesson by expressing that “everybody has pronouns dude. Even you. It’s literally the English language,” said Jay In The World (@JayInTheWorld).
In referencing the DA’s stance on ‘LGBTIQ+’ people that reads “So we stand up for lesbian, gay bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) South Africans,” some pondered who we are supposed to believe.
In talks of tolerance, and someone’s pronouns having very little to do with another person, people said:
“When you stand for freedom you tolerate and embrace difference in other, even if it irritates you. So simple,” said Ali van Wyk (@NcaRoeker)
“So, (a) why do you care? It’s not like someone else posting their pronouns affects your life. Freedom yeah? (b) To trans people, pronouns are important. So you minimizing them as “wokus-pokus” is an insult. Why would you insult a marginalized group who wish you no harm?” asked Alistair McAlpine MD (@AlastairMcA30).
“Ai toggle, don’t be that AUNTY! You know the neighbour who tells the young married girl she did well to marry a man with a good job! Don’t do that, Helen,” said Linda (@EvoSiLla).
Alexander herself responded eloquently.
“I’ll lose my pronouns when we have equal rights for all genders and orientations and we as a society feel so comfortable with one another that those things don’t matter. Until then, I will announce my pronouns,” she said.
“I’ll always do my best to support the minorities, and especially the LGBTQI+ community, but Helen really took my win and made it about her,” she expressed in a follow-up tweet.
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Picture: Twitter | @odonalddavhie