So I’ve realized that in conversations I’ll use traditional terms for men as general terms for all genders, both singularly and for groups. I always mean it well, but I’ve been thinking that it’s not as inclusive to women/trans people.

For example I would say:

“What’s up guys?” “How’s it going man?” "Good job, my dude!” etc.

Replacing these terms with person, people, etc sounds awkward. Y’all works but sounds very southern US (nowhere near where I am located) so it sounds out of place.

So what are some better options?

Edit: thanks for all the answers peoples, I appreciate the honest ones and some of the funny ones.

The simplest approach is to just drop the usage of guys, man, etc. Folks for groups and mate for singular appeal to me when I do want to add one in between friends.

  •  jsomae   ( @jsomae@lemmy.ml ) 
    5•8 months ago

    It’s context-dependent. “They” as gender-neutral was also considered context-dependent until recently.

    • “I met someone and they said…” would have been accepted generally
    • “I met a woman and they said…” is only recently acceptable.
      •  jsomae   ( @jsomae@lemmy.ml ) 
        6•8 months ago

        It would be worse to treat trans women differently than other women.

        Some people object to this usage of “you guys.” Some people also object to “y’all.” I know someone who dislikes “y’all” because it reminds them of confederacy and slavery.

        If there is someone who expresses discomfort with certain words, it’s usually best to avoid those words in their presence.

        By the way, nobody can be expected to know whether or not a woman they are talking to is transgender. “You guys” should not be avoided for the sake of trans women if it isn’t avoided for the sake of all women.