<DIV>We had a presentation at a chapter meeting last year on customer relations. The presenter talked about the "Golden Rule" i.e. treating people how you would like to be treated. She then went on to talk about the "Diamond Rule" of customer relations: Treat others the way they would like to be treated.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The issue of gender is complex. We all have met women who appear more "masculine" than some men, and men who are more "feminine" than some women. Science has shown that all humans have both female and male hormones running through their systems. Some women are given a heftier supply of androgen hormones bringing out characteristics of what we stereotypically identify as "male" i.e. larger bone structure, more hair, deeper voices, etc. Likewise all men have varying degrees of estrogen-like characteristics that in abundance can lead to stereotypical "female" characterists. There are obvious cases like supermodel Carolyn Cossey:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://tgmedia.enacre.net/lorna_lynne/tula.html">http://tgmedia.enacre.net/lorna_lynne/tula.html</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Granted not every transgeneder person is going to be "beatiful" just like many of us "normal" folks. But don't crucify them for it!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you just can't tell if a person is male or female- just call them by their first name! <META content=Word.Document name=ProgId> <META content="Microsoft Word 9" name=Generator> <META content="Microsoft Word 9" name=Originator><LINK href="cid:filelist.xml@01C4835C.E3255100" rel=File-List> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <DIV class=Section1> >>By the way if a person is dressed as a man refer to him as "HE" and if dressed as a woman, refer to her as "SHE".  The word "It" can be used for farm animals and pets or inanimate objects.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> Of course, the confusing part is when you can’t tell by the dress, voice, makeup, or hair. What would you call this person then? Personally, I prefer to use the gender pronoun most closely associated with the DNA imparted to them by their Creator. But sometimes that is not easily discernible from outward appearances. <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> Indeed all should be afforded the utmost courtesy and respect whenever possible. But it is a two way street. It is disrespectful to me to ask me to call them something contrary to their natural state. <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p> Dean<o:p></o:p> Dean May             cell 812.239.3359<o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272<o:p></o:p> Terre Haute IN  47802<o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> Ryan Sowers, RPT Puget Sound Chapter Pianova Piano Service Olympia, WA <hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!? <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/aac/*http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail/static/ease.html">Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete</a> - You start. We finish.