*No matter how much the times change, respect remains timeless. For Sheryl Lee Ralph, that means evolution when it comes to the proper way to greet young people
Captured on social media, the 67-year-old “Abbott Elementary” fixture taught a lesson of her own to members of her generation while addressing how the current generation should be respected.
“Some of the things you used to do and say when you were young, they’re not going to work right now, OK?” said Ralph in a video shared on Instagram by The Black Media account. “These children right about now, they want to be called by their name. They want to be respected with their pronouns.”
Noting folks “of a certain age” in previous generations who may struggle with reaching beyond the gender binary, the Emmy winner brought her point home with using non-traditional names that have also become popular in recent decades.
“Now, I know it might be hard for some of you to say, ‘Hey, Apple, how you doing?’” Ralph stated, adding, “It might even be more difficult for some folks when maybe they don’t look like a ‘he’ or a ‘she’ to you, but they want to be called ‘they,’ ‘him,’ or ‘her.’”
Although some people may not care about correctly recognizing their younger fellow humans, for Ralph it comes down to respect.
“Call them by their name, please. Don’t call them out of their name,” she expressed. “You know how you get when people call you out of your name, [so] don’t do it … Just try.”
Citing the National Institutes of Health (NIH)and recent studies, The Grio mentioned the deeper impact of using gender-expansive language, which often results in a generational divide.
The Institute found that approximately 20% of millennials identify as LGBTQ, more than twice the rate of previous generations.In addition, 56% of Gen Z participants, which NIH recognizes as “the most diverse generation in the US,” know at least one person who uses gender-neutral pronouns. Compared to past generations, the action is a relatively common occurrence in this day and age.
“Furthermore, approximately 0.5% of Americans — or an estimated 1.6 million people — currently identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming, according to a 2016 study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law,” The Grio reported. “One in five of those individuals is aged 13 to 17. With transgender youth diagnosed with mental health conditions at three to 13 times the rate of cis-hetero communities, even seemingly minor validation, like use of preferred pronouns, could potentially have a major impact on public health.”
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