Non-obvious gendered language in the household

[azurelunatic]

As most of my readers are aware, I'm non-binary, my partner is non-binary, and our housemate is non-binary.

As most of my readers are also aware, there are cats.


"Ladies!"
Miss Yellface and Miss Escape Calico are probably trying to murder each other through a closed door again.

women in technology | enacting structural barriers to keep women out of technology
Miss Escape Calico likes to walk/jump/sit on keyboards. We would prefer that she not.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

😸

"Mademoiselle!" → one or the other of them, not both, is up to something she shouldn't

[alexseanchai]

for future reference, the structural barrier enacted earlier today is insufficient: not tall enough and also too easily knocked down

[steorra]

:-)

[cjsmith]

I too am non-binary and whoo yes, there are cats. I’m not sure I did know your gender identity; which pronouns do you prefer?

(Oddly enough only one of my cats gets referred to with a gendered noun. Scaredy, a neutered male who was rescued from the streets late enough in his life that he will always be terrified of everything, is my Buddy. I love my buddy. ♥)

[vass]

enacting structural barriers to keep women out of technology

*prolonged laughter* What sort of structural barrier works for you?

What I tell Dorian is "Catlike typing is not permitted!", and my only successful barrier is locking the session whenever I'm not at the computer.

[ravan]

We have a multigendered household, but my spouse and I are enby. Our cats, OTOH, are not. I will often call them pussies, or girls.

[azurelunatic]

The piece of cardboard leaning up against the usual side of the desk was sadly ineffective.

[azurelunatic]

They/them is suitable for most circumstances.

Classical conditioning

[azurelunatic]

The most actually effective method (working well for the wireless keyboards) is social disapproval (hissing) combined with immediate physical removal. So both positive punishment (hissing) and negative punishment (removal from fun thing) combined with negative reward in that the hissing stops immediately when the behavior stops/is stopped.

[vass]

I've been drooling at those photos of plexiglass benches to go over the keyboard, so you can still type while the cat sits above it.

[cjsmith]

Thank you!

[kaberett]

:D

[cadenzamuse]

Grinning madly in the coffee shop here

Also this is very belated, but your comment long, long ago about being "in caucus with women" ended up being formative in my understanding of my gender <3

[kellan_the_tabby]

Yeah, the humans here are all enbies, the cats are all boys, & I will address basically everyone as 'young man' if they're getting hollered at. (Admittedly that's mostly the cats.)

[redsixwing]

Pffffft.

My colorpoint kitty can join your ladies in trying to overcome barriers to entry into technology. She also works hard to overcome barriers to entry into literature.. meaning mostly that she sits on my books, whether I am reading or writing, and has developed an immunity to being poked in the butt with my (closed) pen.

[azurelunatic]

Right now I'm using two glass monitor platforms above the two halves of my split keyboard, and there is a lace tablecloth ("the lady veil") strung between the curtain rod and the nearby lamppost. (Indoor lamp. No-one is going to Narnia today.)