What's in a Name? – (<i>Nimi ei riku meest. Soeng ei riku naist.</i>)

It was no doubt in light of recent media flurry on the subject of a gender-neutral kindergarten in Stockholm that seeing this sign caught my attention and really stumped me.

BBC News among others reported on the new pre-school Egalia (the Swedish word for equality) last summer, but it was on April 14 that the Estonian daily Postimees broached the subject locally under the headline "Poiss või tüdruk? (Boy or girl?) Ei, hoopis sootu. (No, genderless in fact). Sugude keelamine Rootsi moodi (Prohibiting genders the Swedish way)".

The subject garnered a lot of attention, created much discussion and was also posted amongst www.eesti.ca's hot topics.

Edasi: http://www.vabaeestisona.com/i...

Seen on a street in the north-eastern Estonian city of Kohtla-Järve. What could be behind a door with a sign above it reading Väikemees (Little Man)? The building is surrounded by an enclosed yard and has playground equipment in the back. My first thought: "Could this be a private boys kindergarten?" Photo: Riina Kindlam<br><br> - pics/2012/05/36260_003_t.jpg — Seen on a street in the north-eastern Estonian city of Kohtla-Järve. What could be behind a door with a sign above it reading Väikemees (Little Man)? The building is surrounded by an enclosed yard and has playground equipment in the back. My first thought: "Could this be a private boys kindergarten?" Photo: Riina Kindlam

The Estonian pronoun TEMA is way ahead of its time and perfect for all situations where a person's sex is redundant. Need a wake-up call regarding your gender hang-ups? A buzz cut (siili/soeng – hedgehog "do") should do the trick. Without the relatively clear gender identification marker provided by juuksed (hair), the line between väikemees and Pöial-Liisi (Thumbelina) becomes blurred. Photo: Riina Kindlam - pics/2012/05/36260_004_t.jpg — The Estonian pronoun TEMA is way ahead of its time and perfect for all situations where a person's sex is redundant. Need a wake-up call regarding your gender hang-ups? A buzz cut (siili/soeng – hedgehog "do") should do the trick. Without the relatively clear gender identification marker provided by juuksed (hair), the line between väikemees and Pöial-Liisi (Thumbelina) becomes blurred. Photo: Riina Kindlam