Opinions

Why English Needs a Gender-Neutral Pronoun

The spoken English language contains a wide variety of words, but it lacks a gender-neutral singular third-person pronoun. This means that people who do not identify as either gender must use pronouns that they feel uncomfortable with, or they can use the pronouns “they/them,” which may sound awkward because those pronouns more often imply plurality. A gender-neutral singular third-person pronoun would be useful because it would allow people to be more respectful to those individuals who wish not to be addressed with gendered pronouns. On campus, both students and members...