Well, how to say this? Uhm ... so, in case you're getting gender confused when referring to historical Characters,
that may be because that persons sex does not align with their contemporary gender identity.
I mean, say about inclusion and respect what you will - unless it's unkind, if you asked me - it is in deed a bit
of a difficult subject. Here:
is a nice video on the matter.
To which I say: I agree - BUT - there's this pesky thing about "trans-identity" with gendered language. To which I'll
add that some of it is just a language issue. I mean, here in Germany it is usual to refer to certain things by their
male version, rather than 'gendering it correctly'. So will cis women for instance refer to themselves as [something]
- with something being in the male form. Like, say, 'hair dresser' rather than 'hair dresseress' or so. It doesn't
hurt - though for me as a trans person it 'helps' to use the appropriate gender as I'd take whatever I can get in terms
of gender affirmation.
Maybe it helps to think of that as a matter of growth. Or healing. So, identifying the way we feel - at a core level
of our identity - is as starting a healing process. External influences that go against it then, are like ... tearing
that wound open again. And because this metaphor is for an emotional condition - effectively - the pain is ... emotional.
Sure. But still real.
So ... I so far had to struggle with my gender identity quite a bit. To say, on and off there would be this "wave of
maleness" (not to be confused with masculinity) that would overcome me. Sometimes by being gendered that way, other
times as a matter of self-perception; And on and off the two would co-incide.
And on and off misgendering would happen - either from the outside or from myself even - without much of a warning.
Like so, the one moment I'd feel just fine; And the next I'd be quasi troubled over this ... impression of kind. It's
easy to describe, though difficult to explain how that relates to gender and gender identity.
Well - until now, I guess.
So, I figured that it might be, because Characters associated to me are recognized as male. And people that would so
talk of them would tend to talk of them as males. And so on some cognitive level that would mess with me. I mean, if
we think about David or John, as depicted by artists, they would generally appear to be male and masculine as due to
some ... reasoning. Sure, "patriarchic", let's say. With it may come a sense of who that person might have been - and
that then somehow oozes into my consciousness in a sense of self that I maybe can relate to in the abstract and I also
sortof have to just ... accept.
This initially described change hasn't been on for long - so, maybe it'll take a bit more time before I can be certain,
but so far it seems to have fixed it.
It remains however, that people would still talk of 'King' David, rather than 'Queen' David - while generally referring
to 'him' as 'he' - minus however the idea that that refers to "his" gender.