Time journal is ridiculed for utilizing ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns in piece on ‘Gender Queer’ writer

• TIME Magazine used ‘e/em/eir’ pronouns to describe author Maia Kobabe
• It sparked a backlash online as professors and journalists slammed the magazine
• Kobabe’s book Gender Queer, which illustrates sexual acts, is controversial

TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ridiculous set of pronouns to describe a “gender queer” writer in an article published this week.

The article referred to author Maia Kobabe, 33, who wrote the book Gender Queer: A Memoir, using the pronouns e/em/eir.

The use of the pronouns “e/em/eir” sparked a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all criticizing the magazine for promoting “incomprehensible” words.

The article focused on the controversy surrounding Kobabe’s book, which describes and illustrates sexual acts, and came a day after a Virginia judge dismissed a lawsuit that had attempted to declare “gender queer” obscene for children and its proliferation restricted to minors.

“In the 2019 illustrated graphic memoir, Kobabe, using e/em/eir pronouns, explores her process of coming out as non-binary and asexual,” the TIME journalist wrote.

TIME magazine’s Twitter account also promoted the article, tweeting: “TIME spoke to ‘Gender Queer’ writer and illustrator Maia Kobabe about her work, efforts to restrict access to her writing and what she’s getting out of the current one make a cultural moment.”

Social media users – from the Wikipedia co-founder to journalists and authors – have criticized TIME magazine, accusing the publication of using “made-up” pronouns to suit the “whims of a narcissist.”

Douglas Murray, author of The War on the West, tweeted: “No one has time for this. No one.’

TIME magazine has been criticized for using what many saw as a ridiculous set of pronouns to describe a gender queer writer in an article published this week. The article referred to author Maia Kobabe, who wrote the book Gender Queer: A Memoir. by using the pronouns “e/em/eir” The article referred to author Maia Kobabe, who wrote the book Gender Queer: A Memoir, by using the pronouns “e/em/eir” The use of the Pronouns ‘e/em /eir’ pronouns drew a massive backlash on Twitter, with professors, journalists and comedians all criticizing the magazine for promoting ‘incomprehensible’ words

The e/em/eir pronouns

Kobabe has been using “e/em/eir” since 2016, known as the Spivak pronoun. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns of the American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe, who grew up as a girl, started using the pronouns “e/em/eir” when the author became known as nonbinary in 2016.

Larry Sanger, the internet project developer and co-founder of Wikipedia, tweeted: “Remarkable that TIME uses the invented obnoxious pronoun ‘eir’ because the person describing it says it.”

Journalist Stephen Miller, contributing editor at The Spectator, tweeted, “Ok, the pronoun thing must be a troll at this point, right?”

He joked, “Thank you for interviewing me with Time Magazine, and before we get started, I want to tell you that my pronouns are timeeats***/ timeeatmores***/ timef***off.”

“Just reading that sentence makes Americans even more stupid,” wrote conservative writer Kimberly Morin.

Author Frank Fleming tweeted, “I mean, people can use whatever crazy pronouns they want for themselves, but the idea of ​​everyone else keeping a pronoun chart based on every narcissistic madman’s whims seems untenable.”

Gad Saad, a Lebanese-born Canadian professor of marketing at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business in Quebec, tweeted, “This is total bullshit ***.”

Meanwhile, writer and comedian Andrew Doyle tweeted: “Forget a thought about English teachers in a world of narcissists…”

El American Editor-at-Large Ben Kew wrote, “People may laugh, but I actually find it rather sad to see a publication as iconic as TIME Magazine reduced to this.”

Washington Examiner columnist Becket Adams tweeted, “Did a Cockney chimney sweep write that tweet?”

DailyMail.com has reached out to TIME magazine for comment.

Social media users – from the Wikipedia co-founder to journalists and authors – have criticized TIME magazine, accusing the publication of using “made-up” pronouns to suit the “whims of a narcissist.”

Kobabe, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been using “e/em/eir,” known as the Spivak pronoun, since 2016. The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns promoted by a virtual community LambdaMOO.

The Spivak pronouns are based on the pronouns of the American mathematician Michael Spivak.

These pronouns were formed by dropping the ‘th’ from they, them and their.

Kobabe came out as bisexual in high school — and in 2016, the author came out as nonbinary. Kobabe said that this is where the author decided to use the e/em/eir pronouns.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents for describing and illustrating sexual acts such as oral sex and masturbation.

Tommy Altman, a Virginia Beach tattoo shop owner and former Republican congressional candidate, petitioned a Virginia court about “Gender Queer” and “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas, saying the depictions were unsuitable for children.

Altman asked the court to issue a state law order against the distribution, sale, or lending of the books to minors. The lawsuit was filed in April but was dismissed by a judge on Tuesday before it could go to trial.

District Court Judge Pamela S. Baskervill struck out on judicial grounds, citing both state law and the US Constitution.

For example, Baskervill wrote that Virginia law does not give her specific authority to determine whether the books are obscene for minors.

The judge also wrote that restricting the books’ distribution would authorize a “prior withholding” of the speech and violated the First Amendment. The judge also described concerns about prosecuting someone who was unaware they were selling or lending books deemed obscene.

Kobabe’s book has been criticized by parents for describing and illustrating sexual acts such as oral sex and masturbation

The judge’s order comes at a time when book challenges and bans in the US have risen to levels not seen in decades. Virginia has been at the forefront, with public school curriculum and books that served as a key pillar in Republican Glenn Youngkin’s successful run for governor last year.

Author and publishing groups welcomed the judge’s decision.

Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, said Tuesday it was a “clear victory for the freedom of expression of readers, authors, publishers, booksellers and libraries.”

Many of the targeted books have focused on sexuality, gender identity, or race. Kobabe’s Gender Queer, a graphic novel that includes explicit illustrations of oral sex and masturbation, has served as a particular focal point.

The Virginia Beach school board removed the book from school libraries earlier this year, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Schools in Fairfax County in northern Virginia also briefly removed it last year before reinstating it. Loudoun County Public Schools chose to pull the book.

In his petition against the fantasy book Court of Mist and Fury, Altman said it “contains pages of extreme sexual behavior not appropriate for children as young as 10 years old.”

In his petition against “gender queer,” Altman cited content that shows “two minors having sex,” among other things.

Jeff Trexler, an attorney for the author of Gender Queer, pointed out that Altman was running for Congress when he filed the lawsuit. Altman lost in a crowded Republican primary.

“This isn’t 200 pages of people of different gender identities having sex and nothing else,” Trexler said. “As a literary memoir and as a graphic novel, it is an award-winning work. It was relevant for many people to understand themselves and their children.

Tim Anderson, Altman’s attorney, said the lawsuit “never attempted to ban gay fiction or transliteracy.”

“It was just to say that these[books]are really sexually explicit and not suitable for children,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the intention of the lawsuit is to change a state law that defines what is obscene for both children and adults. Altman wanted a “carve out” that would be considered obscene specifically for teenagers.

Anderson, who is also a state legislator, said Altman is considering his options after the judge’s order. He said one way forward could be a rating system for books, like there is for video games and movies.

“Basically, we’re trying to get to a point where parents are more in the driver’s seat over what their kids are consuming,” Anderson said.