Re:Female Founders Conference today at 1pm PT
by tomp on Saturday February 21, 2015 @04:48PM
(#9087130)
Right, but the original meaning of "woman" is "a female human", whereas "female" is an adjective or a noun for one of the biological sexes (the one that produces ova in sexual reproduction). Including trans-women in the definition of "woman" is a modernistic redefinition of the word, so people are totally justified if they use the word with its original meaning. Maybe we should make up a new word for the new meaning?
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Re:Female Founders Conference today at 1pm PT
by tomjen3 on Saturday February 21, 2015 @06:11PM
(#9087419)
That might have been a sensible choice about twenty years ago. As it is the other usage seems to have been established too much now. This isn't anything new, words change meaning and tone all the time.
Re:Female Founders Conference today at 1pm PT
by swatow on Saturday February 21, 2015 @07:34PM
(#9087646)
I think that only 10% of English speakers think trans-Women are actually women. However that 10% are disproportionately powerful, so they are able to control how the word is used in the media, in the workplace, and in educational institutions. If they stopped doing this, usage would revert to its original pretty much instantaneously.