Classic Literature
In The Comedy of Errors, written by this playwright, a character says, "There's not a man I meet but doth salute me / As if I were their well-acquainted friend."
Who is William Shakespeare?
They are a musician who uses they/them pronouns and is known for hits like "Unholy"
Who is Sam Smith?
This type of pronoun refers to a single person whose gender is known or non-binary, and it has been used in English for centuries.
What is singular they?
This style guide, commonly used in journalism, encourages writers to use singular they/them when the gender of a person is unknown or when a person requests it.
What is the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook?
In this Jane Austen novel, a character says, "Who is in love with her? Who makes you their confidant?"
What is Emma?
Skye is a character in this popular Amazon Prime show, which just recently concluded. (But wait...there's a movie coming soon!)
What is The Summer I Turned Pretty?
They were the first major dictionary to include singular they/them as a standard pronoun for non-binary individuals.
What is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary?
Style guides suggest using singular they/them when appropriate, but sometimes they advise caution to avoid this problem in sentences with multiple possible referents.
What is clarity?
In one of his novels, a character thinks, "The person, whoever it was, had come in so suddenly and with so little noise, that Mr. Pickwick had had no time to call out, or oppose their entrance."
Who is Charles Dickens?
They are a character on the popular Showtime series Billions, whose presence brought non-binary representation to scripted drama.
Who is Taylor Mason?
In the sentence "Jordan said they would call later," the word "Jordan" is called this because it is what "they" refers to.
What is the antecedent?
They didn't fully endorse singular they/them until 2024, after years of cautious recommendations for gender-neutral language.
What is the Chicago Manual of Style?
In this famous novel by Chaucer, the quote is "And whoso fyndeth hym out of switch blame,/They wol come up"
What is The Canterbury Tales?
In One Day at a Time, they are a non-binary character whose journey explores identity, acceptance, and relationships.
Who is Syd?
Some people choose these pronouns, like xe/xem or ze/hir, as an alternative to singular they/them to avoid ambiguity in sentences.
What are neopronouns?
A key goal of style guides is to respect this aspect of individuals when they request specific pronouns.
What is identity or gender identity?