A gender neutral or gender-inclusive pronoun is a pronoun that does not associate a gender with the individual who is being discussed. Some languages, such as English, do not have a designated or formal gender neutral or third gender pronoun available, and this has been criticized because in many instances, writers and speakers use he/his when referring to a generic individual in the third person. Also, the dichotomy of he and she in English does not leave room for other gender identities, which can be exclusive of the transgender, gender nonbinary, and genderqueer communities. It is important to note that it is becoming increasingly acceptable to use the singular they/them as pronouns for gender nonbinary people and to refer to individuals whose gender identity is unknown. In 2019, Merriam-Webster updated the definition of they in their dictionary to include used to refer to a single person whose gender is intentionally not revealed and used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary. Continue lendo →