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This popped up in my Twitter feed yesterday.
Pretty cool, eh?
This runner is exceptional. Her name is Julie Musselman and she qualified for the Boston marathon in all 50 states. You can read the article describing this amazing feat in its entirety here.
The article jumped out at me from my Twitter feed, and not just for Julie's accomplishment.
Let me explain.
I heard Kathy DeBoer, author of Gender and Competition: How Men and Women Approach Work and Play Differently and Executive Director at USA Volleyball, speak at the National Wrestling Coaches Association this past August. In a sport dominated by athletes and coaches who are male, we served as keynote speakers on different topics. Kathy provided insight on how to effectively coach females due to the rapid increase of wrestlers who are female throughout the US. I spoke about wrestling's relevance in the 21st century and explained why this is a sport that belongs in schools - it's inexpensive, inclusive (singlet for every size), it supports physical literacy, it provides good risk-taking experiences, is accessible, and I could go on...
Kathy, an incredible speaker, captivated the audience with her wisdom with humor. After hearing her speak about gender and prefixes, among other things, I haven't been able to go a day without noticing how they are used.
For example:
The female athlete
The female CEO
The female coach
The female minister
Kathy, like me, wants to see more opportunities for all kids (females and males) to participate in sport. She reminded us that a prefix means an outlier, and that prefixes are assigned to both males and females.
For example:
The male nurse
The male elementary school teacher
The male figure skater
By using prefixes in our headlines, descriptions, and writing, we perpetuate gender stereotypes. We don't want to do this, and it's why the education sector describes students before disabilities or conditions they happen to have. A disability should never proceed the person when describing special needs of an individual.
For example:
A child who has paraplegia NOT A paraplegic child
A child with Autism NOT An Autistic child
While it may take some time before we rid the world of prefixes for females and males alike, we can certainly request that those who write for a living do their part.
As Kathy says, "We all want legitimacy and acceptance."
So, take action when you can. It might make a difference, and it might not. But, at least we can say we're doing our part to make sure that females and males understand there is a place for them to attain their goals.
I'm not a female Boston Marathon finisher. I am someone who does many things, and in addition to those things worked my butt off to qualify and run the Boston Marathon in 2014.
To those of you who think political correctness is the demise of this country. Let me leave you with the definition of political correctness. 
I, for one, think an attempt to avoid language that excludes, marginalizes or insults groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against is an attempt worth making.
Who's with me?
