Not least because "it" is less clear, and as a matter of principle, I do not want to misuse the purpose of language to make some sort of ideological point. It was not an ideological matter over which I used the gender-neutral pronoun, so I don't even really have a gun to stick to.

My opinion on the issues regarding the character and Wheel of Time are unchanged, as is my stance on the unrelated real world issue of transgender phenomena and dysphoria.

But it was a simple fix, and I think the post is more readable now, and that's the point.