Ideas worth spreading

Language around gender and identity evolves (and always has)

1,520,652 views |

Archie Crowley |

TEDxUofSC

• October 2020

Dictionaries and grammar "rules" don't have the final word on language -- and believing they do can harm more than help, especially for the trans community. Sociolinguist Archie Crowley deconstructs three common myths around language, demonstrating how it's a fluid system that naturally evolves in the direction of inclusion.

Dictionaries and grammar "rules" don't have the final word on language -- and believing they do can harm more than help, especially for the trans community. Sociolinguist Archie Crowley deconstructs three common myths around language, demonstrating how it's a fluid system that naturally evolves in the direction of inclusion.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofSC, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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Donate to Gender Benders, an organization supporting trans people in South Carolina:

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About the speaker

Archie Crowley

See speaker profile

Archie Crowley studies the relationship between language, gender and culture with the goal of bringing people together and working for justice for trans communities.

Lal Zimman | Explore

Want to know more about language and trans people? Linguist Lal Zimman’s blog has a range of posts about pronouns, the term “transgender," and supporting trans students in the classroom.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofSC, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Donate to Gender Benders, an organization supporting trans people in South Carolina:

Support the Transgender Law Center, which works to combat transphobic legislation: