Most of us have been taught to assume someone is either a man or a woman. We do this by picking up on physical characteristics, dress, voice and even subtle mannerisms. We've done this for years in Western society, not realizing we were sometimes getting it wrong and causing real harm.
To complicate matters, we not only make these gender assumptions but also declare them as an act of respect. Calling someone "sir," "miss" or the dreaded "ma'am" ... is strongly encouraged, if not outright enforced, in many customer-service jobs. But because gender isn't as clear-cut as society once thought, it's time to start rethinking our ideas of politeness.
-- Amanda Jetté Knox, Love Lives Here, p. 245-246
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