‘I’m Scared To Offend Anyone'; Understanding What It Means To Be Non-Binary

Hosting a live morning radio show in today's "woke" world can be tricky. Cancel culture is a real thing, and as our language changes, we gotta realize it and be respectful of it.

Certain words, that once were the preferred nomenclature, seem to be forever engrained in us, and it certainly doesn't get easier to keep up with the progressing culture as we age.

Somewhere along the way the use of words can change, whether they become slurs, or disparaging to certain people, they gotta go. For example, we no longer use the "R" word, "Criss-cross applesauce" replaced "Indian-style", you get the drift.

The same also goes for pronouns and that brings us to our next subject, people who identify as non-binary. Demi Lovato made headlines last week when they came out as non-binary.

Ratings monster, Matt Siegel, 71, from Kiss 108 in Boston was recently told to "stop making jokes" about Demi Lovato's preferred identity, a suggestion that angered Siegel so much that he stormed off the air.

But we all have a little Siegel in us, right? It's human nature when we don't understand something, we tend to mock it or belittle it.

Slater and Marjo had the chance to connect with Emma Lenski, an LGBTQ counselor/advocate at the Elizabeth Freeman Center, about people who identify as non-binary and more. Lenski uses the pronouns she and her and identifies as queer.

Slater: What does non-binary identification mean?

Marjo: But, scientifically speaking, there are only two genders, right?

Slater: How offended do LGBTQ+ people, or non-binary people get when the cisgendered world unintentionally uses the wrong pronouns?

Slater: What would your reaction be if I said that woke culture is moving too fast, people can't keep up.

To learn more about LGBTQ services offered at The Elizabeth Freeman Center click here.