re: Gender-specific pronouns for inanimates - English is weird. It sounds right to my ear as "she", but the opposite to others. Historically if a gender is required, male is used, but some find that offensive. On the other hand, certain inanimate objects (countries, vehicles of many kinds) are referred to as "she" simply because of tradition.

My girlfriend is learning a little Hindi right now and she finds it maddening that nouns are gendered male or female seemingly at random. I can tell her which is which, but as far as I know there's no system. Some are just male, some are female.

Anyway, "it" sounded weird in that sentence. I should have just rewritten it. :)

Because it is unnecessary in English, when you refer to something inanimate as male or female it implies you have an emotional attachment.

I refer to my car as 'it', my girlfriend calls it a 'she'. When she parked it into a pole she cried and I shrugged.

I know some people can find a picture of a kitten offensive. Are there legitimate reasons to feel that way?

It's not uncommon. Women don't have any unique ownership of the term "she."

If you refer to your dog lucy, you might say: she likes that toy.

People sometimes refer to their vehicles as her or she and give them cute names.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/she

2) "used to refer to one regarded as feminine (as by personification) <she was a fine ship>"

What the fuck?...