Why they/them? It is normal in the English language to use they/them pronouns when we don’t know the gender of the person to which we’re referring, or if we want our sentence to be applicable to all genders. This isn’t new – the saying “Everybody loves their own mother” has been used since around late 1300.

While all cultures recognize at least two biological sexes, usually based on genitals visible at birth, and have created at least two gender roles, many cultures go beyond the binary model, offering a third or fourth gender category.

To begin practicing not using pronouns, the first thing is to get used to starting sentences with the person’s name. That way, there is no confusion about the subject of the sentence. If the person is in the room, the second person pronoun you is universally applicable.

Isn’t it rude to ask someone for their pronouns? The more we ask everyone for their pronouns (and state our own pronouns), the more it becomes part of the status quo. Avoid asking only people with what you consider to be an unusual gender presentation as that would be rude and potentially awkward.

When asking about sex as a category, words like male, female and intersex should be used. Gender identity refers to the internal/psychological sense of self, regardless of what sex a person was assigned at birth. When asking about gender as a category, words like woman, man, and trans* should be used.

– she/her/hers (for someone who might identify as female), – they/them/their (for someone who might not identify strictly as male or female, these pronouns are considered ‘gender neutral’; also used when referring to multiple people). Why would someone add their pronouns to their signature line?

They/them pronouns are gender-neutral. They are not explicitly or exclusively nonbinary.

Many people use one or a combination of the following pronouns: he, she, they, xe, ze, and more. Some people do not use any pronouns and are called by their names. Everyone has a way to be referred to – learning someone’s pronouns is essential to communicating respectfully with one another.

In English, when declaring one’s preferred pronouns, a person will often state the subject, object, and possessive pronouns—for example, “she, her, hers”, “he, him, his”, or “they, them, theirs”—although sometimes, only the subject and object pronouns are stated (“he, him”, “she, her”, “they, them”).

How do you identify yourself? Introduce yourself with your own pronouns “Hi, my name is Marie, I’m a human rights activist, and my preferred pronouns are XX.” Ask for Preferred Pronouns. When you meet someone new, don’t assume how they identify or what their pronouns are.