The Cambridge Dictionary recently updated its definitions for “woman” and “man” to include transgender people, becoming the latest dictionary to formally expand what it means to be a woman.
As the Telegraph’s story on the Cambridge Dictionary’s added definition for “woman” spread online Tuesday, conservative voices on Twitter were quick to criticize the decision. Others, such as Leroy Thomas, the communications director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, celebrated the move as the latest affirmation that “transgender women are women.”
“Language shapes our understanding of the world,” Thomas said in a statement to The Post. “During a time when some political leaders are trying to erase transgender people from society, it’s important that we are recognized as our true selves. Clarifying the meaning of womanhood makes clear that transgender people are who they say they are.”Laurel Powell, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, echoed the sentiment.
“Dictionaries don’t define languages used. They explain how it is already being used generally,” she said in an interview. “We know there is a rising tide of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people broadly, and that’s certainly inclusive of trans people. You are seeing a reflection of what it already widely accepted.”White noted that the addition to the definition for “woman” from Cambridge editors was made on Oct. 27.
“Our dictionaries are written for learners of English and are designed to help users understand English as it is currently used,” White said in a statement, noting that the dictionaries are compiled by analyzing more than 2 billion words. An analysis of this many words allows the Cambridge Dictionary “to see exactly how language is used,” White said.“We regularly update our dictionary to reflect changes in how English is used, based on analysis of data from this corpus,” she said.
“More than ever, we are all faced with questions about who gets to identify as a woman ,” the website wrote. “The policies that these questions inform transcend the importance of any dictionary definition — they directly impact people’s lives.”
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