About pronouns

Anna Log

She/They

Staff Writer

11/1/22

A fun way to put it is that gender is a funky little blob that’s filled with the societal constructs around what makes up a man and woman.  It’s up to each person how they identify, so if you are unsure of how to address a person, the best thing to do is to politely ask them their pronouns.

Pronouns are an important aspect of gender identity and everyday life.  “Pronouns” are the linguistic ways in which people are referred to.  Students may find that in class introductions they’re asked about their pronouns.  This is because their professors want to make sure that they are inclusive and create a safe space of respect for everyone!  It’s better to ask about a person’s pronouns than assume, which can be invalidating their identity.  A fun way to start the conversation and show you’re an “ally” (a person who is actively supportive of LGBTQ+ people and elevates their voices) if you are a cisgender person (a person who identifies with their assigned gender) is to wear a pronoun pin!  Examples of pronouns are she/her, he/him, they/them, she/they, he/they, he/she, he/she/they, and “neopronouns” (unconventional pronouns) such as xe/xem/xir.

Fun fact: those who argue against the common use of pronouns – oftentimes for transphobic (out of hate for transgender people) reasons or misinformation – usually use the argument that they “don’t use pronouns” and “they/them is only used for multiple people”.  However, as a grammar lesson would tell you, pronouns include the basic use of “I” and “me”, and as I have been properly using they/them throughout this article, they/them pronouns are used for nonbinary people and those who you do not know the gender of!