Isn't this a bit extreme?

[Laurence Horn]

On Jul 26, 2014, at 7:53 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:

> "a woman’s right to choose _their_ own reproductive health"


No more extreme than, inter many alia,

Tot moms was designed as a way for Madison and I to build new friendships and get to know other mommies and tots in our area…A tot mom is enthusiastic, committed, hard working, loving, fun, and most of all, dedicated to their tots. Every mother featured has all the qualities of a tot mom.
           — http://totmoms.wordpress.com/about/, “What is Tot Moms?” blog FAQ
 
I challenge you to find a lesbian who doesn’t want to see themselves portrayed on television.
—actress on Showtime’s “The L-Word”
 
WHO WEARS WHITE DURING THEIR PERIOD?
—from a panty-liner commercial on television

As long as there's no reference to a specific woman (or man), the "they"/"their"/"them" forms are increasingly an option (for some).

LH


> 
> Well, that's language change in progress. What can you do? It's no stranger
> than turning a gross obscenity of my lost youth like "I tapped that ass"
> into a *euphemism* for "I fucked her."
> 
> If *that* ain't a bitch, then I don't know what is.
> 
> -Wilson
> -----
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -Mark Twain
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org