Now This is a Thing: A Movement Telling Pet Owner Not to ‘Gender’ Pets

Now this is apparently a thing. The following paragraph is not a joke, at least not intentionally:

You may think it is of no importance whether you gender your pets but why would you do such a thing to such an important member of your life? Pets cannot speak for themselves. They cannot tell you that they are being misgendered. It’s important not to make assumptions about what gender your animal is based off of its sex.

The article goes on to say that the sex of your pet is irrelevant — except when performing surgeries on our pets (without their consent, natch) — and that they might actually be on the gender spectrum, or even gay. Then, the article provides helpful tips on being a “safe human being,” including:

If you love and care for your pet it is important not to misgender them. Try to give them a gender-neutral name instead and calling them gender neutral pronouns like they and them. You may be thinking “why is this important? This is just an animal?” Well it is important because typically pets are more important to their owners than just “animals.” Also, it’s an important way to practice getting rid of gender norms all together.

Here’s one example of an actual person who believes this way:

I was apparently the last person to realize that my constant low-grade yearning for casual companionship and affection without always having the energy for sustained emotional intimacy was in fact a desire for a, how do humans say, a “pet”
so uh
I GOT A DOG
(name and gender TBD) pic.twitter.com/NQLYOY87HP

— Afraid-a Powers (@mspowahs) August 8, 2018

Of course, this tweet was followed by several comments complimenting this Tweeter on his “wokeness.”  Good thing the dogs don’t care.

Hat Tip: MedUSA

Image Credit: Pixabay