Respecting Pronouns

Pronouns matter. It's something we take for granted every day, unless you're a person who is gender expansive. When people ask me why someone would ask to be a "they/them" I remember that no one ever questioned me about my gender identity. It was assumed from the moment I was born! I was raised in a culture in which gender was a given. A person was either a boy or a girl. There was no in between. there were right and wrong ways of being either a boy or a girl. I remember how liberated I felt when I learned that from ancient times there was a much more complex understanding of what gender is. I let go of my sense of right and wrong about grammar - it's not a thing! They/them is used as a singular all the time. Not only that, I would rather respect an individual than be right all the time. It turns out that being right isn't always satisfying. It turns out that being respectful and kind IS always satisfying!!