International Pronouns Day

October 21 is International Pronouns Day, so this month we want to spread a little awareness about pronouns! 

For so long, Western society has tried to keep everyone in a little binary set of boxes. It turns out that this doesn’t work for everyone. Two sizes (male/female) simply do not fit all. For many people, it’s incredibly uncomfortable to be pushed into a gender box that doesn’t resonate. Coming to understand ourselves more fully than we ever have is something to celebrate and acknowledge.  Not fitting into the binary we were born into needs to be normalized. If you are not comfortable with the pronouns you’ve been given and have been using your whole life, it’s okay to try something new. 

More and more, people are turning to the use of they/them pronouns to express their unique identity. Some people even use multiple sets of pronouns. A transmasculine person, for example, might opt to use both he and they, meaning you can use those pronouns interchangeably when speaking about them. Some people have no pronoun preference whatsoever, you can use any pronouns with them and they’ll be perfectly comfortable. Every individual person is complex and unique. It’s also important to remember that your pronouns are not set in stone. If you want to try out a new set and then discover you don’t like them after all, it’s also okay to quit using them. Bottom line, it’s time we push past preconceived gender limitations and open our minds to more. 

Want to take a deeper dive into the world of gender and pronouns?

Here’s a good place to start your research!