“RuPaul is noted among drag queens for his indifference toward the gender-specific pronouns used to address him—both “he” and “she” have been deemed acceptable, as stated in his autobiography: “You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.”— Wikipedia’s entry for RuPaul. Several readers were upset earlier today when we referred to RuPaul as a “she” in a headline, so we wanted to emphasize Regis and Kathie Lee’s preference: He doesn’t have one. So there.
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DarkZephyr
Amen Queerty and any TRUE RuPaul fan would know this.
salumbre
Everyone seems to have their undies in a bunch over pronouns lately. Hence monstrosities like the singular “they.” I wish people just chilled the fvck out.
RiBrad
People getting offended on other people’s behalf over minor language issues is truly tedious.
Realitycheck
It is not a minor thing for a man to be called a “she” in fact for most men is the ultimate
offense, of course if Ru is ok with that is it all another story, but make no mistake it is not a
small thing and it is not about insecurity it is about respect…..
But no doubt the above will be lost on the most hard core queens that refer to everyone as
she, except they do so to look down on others not to compliment…
Think people think, the world we live in is much bigger then your local bar, gay application and group of friends..
Hussain-TheCanadian
Why would a gay man be insulted by being referred to as “her”? I personally don’t the big deal; our first nations communities see gay people as a “dual spirit” individuals, we should learn a thing or two from them.
CarrieV
Calling a man a “she” is ***in fact the ultimate offense***?
Wow, so being called a woman or a she or anything of the like is ***the ultimate offense***.
It’s a sad, sad Trumpian country where the worst thing a man can be called is a woman. You wouldn’t become hysterical if someone called you by the wrong astrological sign, I’d bet. You wouldn’t grasp your pearls if someone called you a blond when you have dark hair, or a brunette when you have light hair. You wouldn’t come posting to Queerty if someone called you left-handed when you are not. You’re gynephobic blurb there makes me think of all of the straight guys who feel like you do… except THEY replace “woman” with “gay dude” — “it is not a minor thing for a man to be called a “f@g” in fact for most men is the ultimate offense”, yep, heard that one a million times too.
Jeezus, people, when can we drop the outright hatred towards those we consider so grotesque that we cannot bear the comparison?
CarrieV
Ugh, *your, not you’re
Jonathonz
Amen Carrie V! It’s a sad world we’ve created where the ultimate offense to most men is to be called a woman. It’s called misogyny, and it directly relates to homophobia, Reality Check. It’s called society valuing men over women and it’s wrong.
He BGB
To me it’s about the context, syntax, source of the reference. If the person is being written about in a serious magazine, out of drag, he? If it’s a silly magazine or website and in drag then she. But it all comes down to what the person prefers. Ru is a mentor and really was one of the first drag queens to be mainstream, opening the doors to others. I think he should be treated with respect no matter what.