@erincandescent @vyr fellow is actually technically gender-neutral! taking “fellow” in a masculine sense is like taking “comrade” in a masculine sense, or “friend”, or “peer”, or “mate”, or “buddy” — it’s based in a very particular usage that is more colloquial and doesn’t reflect the real meaning of the word(s). the societal assumption is probably something like that camaraderie is for men, while women for some reason don’t have that; their bonds or relations are seen as somehow “lesser”.

@trwnh @erincandescent yeah no don't etymologize me. if someone calls me a fellow irl i'm going to fucking fight them, it's as gendered as "dude"

@vyr @erincandescent hey hey, i'm sociologizing not etymologizing! this is less to do with calling you "fellow" and more to do with fellowship in general being viewed through the lens of male homosociality moreso than female homosociality.