Ask Amy: A gentleman ponders gender salutations

Dear Amy: I have an etiquette question.

Is it still acceptable to refer to men as “gentlemen” and women as “ladies?”

I have read that some people may take offense to the use of those words.

At baseball games that I attend, the team used to be introduced on the field by the announcer saying, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, here are your Pittsburgh Pirates!”

Now, most announcers at the ballpark simply say, “And now, here are your Pittsburgh Pirates!”

I would be interested to know your position on this.

— Polite Gentleman

Dear Gentleman: I didn’t realize that I needed to have a “position” on this. (Nor is this really an etiquette question.) But let me take a swing at it.

I am female, and although perhaps I can’t really claim to be a “lady,” I am not personally bothered at all by being politely referred to in this way.

However, there are fellow human beings who do not identify along a binary gender line as either female or male, and one would assume that some of these people are also baseball fans — buying tickets, beer, trinkets, and rooting for their hometown team.

Because of this, and for other reasons, I appreciate gender being left out of public announcements.