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LRC Chides Noem for Using Gendered Pronouns

The Department of Education had to cancel its August hearing on Governor Kristi Noem’s proposed “divisive concepts” fatwa because the proposed rule broke the law. But what probably tweaked Noem’s nose most about the embarrassing letter from Legislative Research Council code counsel John McCullough that Noem tried to keep secret was the fact that McCullough ran a trans-sensitive pronoun critique:

Legislative Research Council, markup of proposed "divisive concepts" administrative rule for Board of Education Standards, 2022.08.17, published in Bob Mercer, "SDDOE Releases Secret Letter on Noem's Divisive Concepts," KELO-TV, 2022.12.27.
Legislative Research Council, markup of proposed “divisive concepts” administrative rule for Board of Education Standards, 2022.08.17, published in Bob Mercer, “SDDOE Releases Secret Letter on Noem’s Divisive Concepts,” KELO-TV, 2022.12.27.

Gender-neutral terms to replace gendered pronouns—now there’s a divisive concept!

But three cheers to the LRC for maintaining grammatical consistency, preserving the singularity of “the individual” by using the singular possessive “the individual’s” instead of resorting to a sloppy, confusing, and incorrect plural “their”.

12 Comments

  1. grudznick 2023-01-02 07:59

    Their work is often sloppy, confusing, and incorrect, so bully to the Council of the Legislatures on this one.
    Those individual’s work is often sloppy, confusing, and incorrect, so bully to the Council of the Legislatures on this one.

  2. sx123 2023-01-02 08:35

    Decades ago I was taught/told to use, for example, ‘he or she’ (which is weird) instead of ‘they’.

    If ‘individual’ is the proper way to do it now, fine. I just want a word to use when writing or talking and don’t care what the gender is.

  3. e platypus onion 2023-01-02 08:43

    ‘his or her the individual’s’… I thought they were sorta allowing there were more than 2 genders.

  4. All Mammal 2023-01-02 09:15

    The only time in ‘grammar school’ we might have had Grammar on the syllabus, I think the teacher put in the Harry Potter movie. As soon as the lights were out, I did the same. I either fell asleep or left the school. I imagine the distain a grammarian experiences from the butchered and mangled run-ons I ignorantly and proudly share every time I hit the submit button. I apologize. The only thing I seem to develop from reading my old college Writing Handbook is a grammar complex:/

  5. John 2023-01-02 09:29

    A state and a nation that refuse recognition of the worth of an individual is not worthy of our time, taxes, or loyalty. One my kids is applying for citizenship in an EU nation – so they have options for themselves and their minor daughters. The US may be a refuge for those suffering from brutal regimes, but the US long gave up its place as the best place to raise a family. Ask yourself, why would a person come to South Dakota for college, only to have to return to Illinois for healthcare?
    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/19/gen-z-on-new-college-and-career-plans-in-post-roe-america.html

    A distant bright spot is that aging millennials are not ‘turning conservative’ per the former demographic and political slide. Millennials instead are remaining liberal or becoming more liberal as they age.
    https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/millennials-not-becoming-more-conservative-162240689.html

  6. Nix 2023-01-02 10:22

    Interesting John,
    2 Nephews, a niece and one of my sons
    have applied for dual citizenship with
    Luxembourg.
    Options are always good in any long term plan.
    With the current state of our Nation , and as close as we came to the end of Democracy on Jan. 6, they are making sure that they will be on a life raft when the Titanic goes down.

  7. P. Aitch 2023-01-02 10:29

    @All Mammal: No apology needed to this group. Although there are a few pedantic individuals who pop from their hole periodically, grammar and punctuation are only points of personalization. When we can’t see whom we’re reading personalization comes in many forms.
    When Cory was teaching Middle School and High School, he’d sometimes be grammatically critical, though. I fight the urge to correct his mistakes because it really makes little difference.
    The new grammar tools that pop up are helpful, also.

  8. All Mammal 2023-01-02 11:19

    P. Aitch- you make a good point about how we distinguish each other by our handles. There ought to be a public announcement whenever the English department agrees to alter any of the grammar rules we hold onto as God’s truth. Commas keep getting switched on me, as well as apostrophes hopping from possessives to conjunctions, or both? Grammar should be hammered home in grammar school, and stay static forevermore;)

  9. Darrell Solberg 2023-01-02 13:44

    Her incorrect ways on most everything, is probably why we question that she even graduated with a degree from SDSU! For over four years she has demonstrated that she is over her head in governing!!! Now she is hiring more hacks from out of state to do more of her dirty work!!! And we thought Nixon was corrupt!

  10. Observer 2023-01-03 08:57

    The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that congressional restrictions on independent expenditures by corporations in federal elections violate the First Amendment effectivley saying that corporations are people. Which gender? Male? Female? Is this a Divisive Concept?

  11. grudznick 2023-01-03 23:46

    Ms. P.h is right about Mr. H back when he used to be a teacher, and one on the higher levels of the SILT no less. He was a pronound fiend. As are they, you and I. grudznick does love hisownself pronouns.

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