When Society Catches UP

I recently read an article stating that the Merriam-Webster dictionary's word of the year for 2019 is "they." Merriam-Webster also recently added a new definition of the word to include the use of "they" as a non-binary person.

The American Psychological Association also recently endorsed the use of "they" as a "singular third-person pronoun." The APA states, "we believe writers should try to use a person's self-identified pronoun whenever feasible." I agree! It costs me nothing to be respectful. It's exactly the same as calling me "sir" when I clearly don't identify as a male. Oddly enough, my husband's professor for his master's in counseling has told his students that the papers they turn in cannot use they as a pronoun. That's frustrating to me. Since the APA has made their statement, the professor's terms seem like a personal decision to me.

A representative for GLAAD said, "Merriam-Webster's choice is a positive step in acknowledging non-binary people." I would absolutely agree. The more we use the word, the less uncomfortable it feels.

I told many people, my non-binary child included, that one of the hardest parts of using "they" when referring to them is that it's not grammatically correct. The more I use it to define my child, the easier it becomes. I am not perfect but I absolutely try my hardest to use my child's preferred pronouns; anyone's preferred pronouns. I will get there!

Merriam-Webster cites a number of reason for the look-up of the word (which is what makes it win as Word of the Year). From fashion runways to political speeches, more and more people are calling attention to non-conforming genders and the results are that more and more people are trying to accept and respect a person's identity.

Someone said to me, "I don't understand it." You don't have to. I can try to explain it to you to the best of my knowledge but all anyone is really asking you to do is respect them. I hope that the more it's talked about it, the more we become comfortable with the language, the more people will "understand" it. I don't think you have to "understand" it to be respectful.

My name is Sam and I identify as she/her. It would be disrespectful to call me Bob and he/him. The use of they is exactly the same.