A rose by any other name....

This is an interesting article about the use of the word Albino. Andrew hopes to put the full quotes in another article for his blog, so I'll post a link to that as soon as it comes out. Thanks Andrew!

http://activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/is_the_word_albino_derogatory

Here is an earlier post about the word albino that he posted on his blog:

The Original Off-Color Insult

In case you're interested, here's the full quote I gave Andrew:

I believe that the term albino can be offensive and that it's important for us to educate people about person-first language. I don't get upset when people call our children albinos because they usually know nothing about the condition, but as often as possible I use the opportunity to gently say to them, "They are people with albinism."

However, within our own home, we try to be more playful about the term and hope to teach our children that they can reject the term if they want, or make it their own. I think no matter what stance you take on it, people who are labeled will often use the label for themselves and amongst friends and family, but don't appreciate the casual stranger using it. At least that has been my experience.

If my sons want to use the term in such a way that they can reclaim it and feel empowered, I will support them in that. If they are sensitive about it and don't like using it, I will do everything in my power to educate and correct people. Either way, I hope they feel proud of who they are and the amazing albinism community we get to be a part of.