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HOW TO USE GENDER-NEUTRAL PRONOUNS

Gabrielle Love Acero
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These days, being sensitive is a must, especially in using the right pronoun to address someone. We are living in a world with a great diversity of individuals. As the spectrum of genders grows, there are additional gender-neutral pronouns as well.  Some people stick to the basic gender-neutral pronouns, while other people, especially those who support the LGBTQ+ community added some gender-neutral pronouns in their vocabularies. Gender-neutral pronouns are not gender-based but refer to the third person. Basically, the “he” or “she” pronoun is not in this conversation, however, there is a precursor of those gender-based pronouns.

These are the formal examples of gender-neutral pronouns and how they can be used:

  • They – it refers to more than two people; to describe a group of people (based on how they look like or what they did/doing); use for people and animals; plural

Example:

            They love to go shopping.

They went to the cinema yesterday.

            They are so cute together! (put “are” after the pronoun if describing)

  • Their – it refers to ownership by a group of people (more than two); indirect or direct uses; plural

Example:

            It is their own coffee shop.

            Their lives are so beautiful!

  • It – refers to one person (not gender-based), animal or object; to describe someone or something; singular

Example:

            It appears vibrant!

            It looks like a rainbow.

            It is (name of the person) living there!

  • Them – it points out a group of people (two or more) or object; plural

Example:

            I want to buy them tomorrow! (it refers to an object or animal or fruit or food)

            I saw them last night in the street. (it refers to a group of individuals)

Take note: the gender-neutral pronouns mentioned above can also be used after a certain noun, name or object is mentioned beforehand. Also, they are definite (particular) and indefinite (not particular).

Example:

                        I eat my birthday cake yesterday. It made my tummy full!

                        The girl’s band is so excellent. They are so talented!

Oops! The article is not yet done!

As mentioned in the first paragraph, as the spectrum of the genders widen, some people created a “new” set of pronouns to be used as gender-neutral pronouns.

According to the UW-Milwaukee LGBT Resource center (2011), the list below is the (informal) gender-neutral pronouns that were added to their vocabulary as support also to the LGBTQ+ community.

  1. He/She – Zie, Sie, Ey, Ve, Tey, E
  2. Him/Her – Zim, Sie, Em, Ver, Ter, Em
  3. His/Her – Zir, Hir, Eir, Vis, Tem, Eir
  4. His/Hers – Zis, Hirs, Eirs, Vers, Ters, Eirs
  5. Himself/Herself – Zieself, Hirself, Eirself, Verself, Terself, Emself

Additional list of gender-neutral pronouns:

  1. Ze/Zemself by Richard Creel (1997)
  2. Fae/faer/faerself
  3. Ve/vir/vis/verself by C. Hulme (1980s)
  4. Per/pers/perself by Marge Piercy (1979)
  5. Peh/pehm/pehself
  6. Hu/hum/hus/humself by Humanist (1982)

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Gabrielle Love Acero

Gabrielle Love Acero loves to write in any form since she was still a little girl. Her writing skills were enhanced through reading books, articles, and informative materials such as Reader’s Digest. They are also her hobbies. She began her blog site at the age of 11. She wrote her experiences in life. With her experiences, she became a scriptwriter during her High School years. One of her movies that she directed and produced won 2nd place against 7 high school institutions (public and private) in the city where she is living. The interschool competition was hosted by Commission on Population (PopCom) – Region X. She puts effort into doing these things because it is her passion. She is one of the top of the class during her Elementary and High School years. She graduated as the Class Valedictorian in Junior High School. At the age of 9, Gabrielle Love Acero started participating and engaging in voluntary activities, especially at church. She entered the kids’ choir and joined “Sidewalk Saturday School (SSS)” as a volunteer. She taught indigenous children about God and His love for them in a certain area, including skit-playing and Bible-reading. With those experiences, she continued being a volunteer at heart until the present day. At the age of 13, she became a Worship leader in the church where she is currently attending since 2007. Her dedication, commitment, and love for God and His people made her become one of the assets of the church. She is one of the youth leaders. Gabrielle Love Acero is currently a junior student of Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Medical Biology at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, where she continues to work towards her dream of becoming a doctor in the near future. She is also involved in extracurricular organizations. She is currently the President of Xavier University Red Cross Youth (XU – RCY), where she plans, organizes, and implements humanitarian activities for the community with her team. Also, she is a 1st class Cadet Officer at Xavier University Philippine Air Force - Reserve Officer Training Corps (XU PAF ROTC), where she teaches basic military trainings based on her military training experiences. Also, she implies military leadership to her lower classes. Not despising her Biology degree, she put her efforts into her studies and get involved in Biophilic (Biology) Society activities with her colleagues. Many people are awed by her experiences and involvements, especially her time management skills, but with humility, she believes that her life is not her own, but with a purpose. Gabrielle Love Acero hopes to learn more about life and the field she is currently in. She is goal-oriented and exemplifies excellence in everything she does, not because of herself, but because of the greater One living inside her.

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