‘He or She Is a Sexist’

What a shame that knee-jerk attachment to antiquated grammatical rules is swaying your editorial staff (March 24), “He or She Is a Sexist.”

You complain that fair and accurate representation of the human race is somehow inelegant. Phooey! Even your own example sentence is easy to amend, reasonably and succinctly.

Old: Anyone who drives without a seat belt takes his life into his hands. (Unfair and inaccurate--do only men drive without seat belts?)

New: People who drive without seat belts take their lives into their hands. (Nonsexist, concise, and all-inclusive!)

I refer you to an excellent, short book called “Words and Women,” by Casey Miller and Kate Swift.

As they clearly state, “let the meaning choose the word.” If you mean “male,” use words like “he, him, his.” If you mean “people,” say so!

ROBIN WINSTON

Culver City