I was just sitting at the mall taking a break from mall walking. A man walked over to me when I wasn’t even looking up. He said "I haven’t seen you here before. " I said I wasn’t really here to talk to people and got up and walked away. He said he would leave, he may even have said sorry. I said I was ready to leave anyway. In retrospect I think he may have just been slightly mentally challenged so I wish I had been a little softer, he did not turn out to be aggressive. Looking for suggestions on something still clear and firm but more polite? This scared me for some reason, I think how fast he walked up and sat down near me.
Editing to add a key detail, he sat down close to me which is probably what made me more nervous than I would have otherwise been. I appreciate all the thoughtful feedback I’ve gotten and interesting discussion.
Yes, using “male” or “female” as a noun (rather than an adjective) is bad form when referring to people. At least, it’s non-standard.
That said, language is constantly evolving, and when there is a need, it will be filled. Convention be damned. And there is a need for a noun that means “girl or woman” that isn’t clunky. There’s no good “standard” word to use. I think that’s one of the reasons this usage is becoming more common. (Personally, it gives me the ick, probably because I heard it used mostly in misogynistic contexts c. 2010 and it’s hard to shed that connotation. But I see it more and more without that subtext more recently. I suspect in 50 years it will be “standard”.)
Similar deal with the singular “they”. Some people still complain about that, even though it’s been in use for a very long time (centuries, I think).
I, for one, am a strong proponent of…well, my username. After all, “bro” can be short for Broseph or Brosephina.