Gender Neutral?

When I first began to submit to my husband's leadership in our marriage, I asked him if there was anything that I could call him that would remind me of what I was doing and help him feel respected.  Some people use Captain and I threw that out as a suggestion.  He thought for a moment and responded with Sir.  I can say that I am not very good with this, yet, and I am going to try harder to use it.  It feels awkward and not endearing, and I will admit that sometimes I can't help but say it sarcastically, which would sort of defeat the purpose of using it. 

I was reading something somewhere the other day that some people are trying to make "Sir" gender neutral.  Say What?  I wish I could link to it, but cannot seem to find it.  Commenters on the article were mostly young twenty something women whom I can only wish I could speak to and smack some sense into.  Before you think I am being overly judgemental, just know that I probably would have jumped on that train in my twenties too.  I would be smacking them out of love to wake them up.  Sir is a term of respect, at least where I come from.  Ma'am is also a term of respect.  If someone said "Yes Sir" to me, I would be greatly offended.

Why is it that we want the world to be "Gender Neutral?"  Why can't we accept men and women for what they are and appreciate our differences?  I am not speaking of equal pay for equal work etc.  I am talking about appreciating that we are wired and built differently and that it is okay.  Where is the line or balance of gender inclusive language and ridiculousness? Every time you turn around you are met with women whining about how men should be or think more like women and men whining about how women should be or think more like men.  God made us different for a reason.

If you need a gender neutral term to use, let me school you in a Southern phrase that works regardless of gender and any gender can make use of it.  It would be what I would use to describe men and women that can't seem to accept gender differences.

Bless your heart!