I just read Beth Young's post, after sending my post. Wanted to note 
that I have had lesbian friends and students who refer to their partners 
as "my wife". Ha! I wonder what the objector would say to that ...

I have to say, however, that I am not dismissive of the so-called 
political correctness movement in either language or other social 
behavior. As with so many social changes, the pendulum has perhaps swung 
a little too far in the opposite direction, but better that than that it 
should swing back to the demeaning insensitivity that maltreated groups 
have had to suffer for centuries. The correctness should be 
equal-opportunity, though ... "innocent women and children", a common 
phrase in wartime, assumes that all men are guilty combatants and 
therefore legitimate cannon fodder. And I don't find sexist jokes about 
men any more amusing than sexist jokes about women or gays.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Associate Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-2596
• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •      Home page: 
http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/