Miss Manners: Follow a stranger's lead in introductions
By Miss Manners, Published: January 4 | Updated: Thursday, January 5, 12:01 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/miss-manners-follow-a-strangers-lead-in-introductions/2011/12/15/gIQAiXhAbP_story.htmlDEAR MISS MANNERS: The new Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Center at the university I work for hosted a cocktail party to which all interested persons — faculty, staff or students — were invited. As I was standing in the corner quietly chatting with my partner, I noticed a person standing rather forlornly in the center of the room with no one to talk to. We made eye contact and this person smiled and walked up to us.
As "they" got closer, I realized that "they" were obviously in the advanced stages of a male-to-female transition, complete with feminine attire. I glanced at the name tag, which read "John Jones, Chair, Department of Biology" (not the real name or title).
I was unsure whether to say, "Hello, Mr. Jones" or "Hello, Ms. Jones," so I opted for what I thought would be a very safe "Hello, Dr. Jones," as I am quite sure that all of the chairs of the university's departments are PhDs.
