My name is Sailor Cartwright, and I was quoted in the above-mentioned article written by David Harry. When the article was published online I was originally assigned ‘she’ pronouns. The problem is that while I don’t identify as a woman, I also don’t identify as a man. I am a femaleassigned masculine queer, and use the pronoun ‘they.’ While I understand that non-binary genders and identities are new territory for many outside of the queer community, I feel that this is an important opportunity to address media representation and respect to the very real identities of a marginalized community.

The claim that the AP Style Guide does not recognize ‘they’ as an appropriate pronoun is not true. From the Aug. 22, 2013, AP blog (blog.ap.org/2013/08/22/apeditors note-on-manning/) it specifically states their intention to use gender neutral pronouns until Manning’s preference was attained from Manning.

“Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth,” states the Stylebook entry. “If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.”

The night I was approached by Mr. Harris, I was wearing a tie and was read as female. He was not sure of my gender, and thought it was OK to guess. Please know that it is not.

Sailor Cartwright
Portland