Many have debated about what gender-neutral pronouns should be used. Is it up to personal identity, or should a specific set be officially incorporated into the English language?
We should use the already-familiar "they/them" as a gender-neutral pronoun for non-binary persons
They/them has been used as a gender-neutral pronoun for ages, but many English teachers will call it out as improper grammar. They/them as gender-neutral pronouns should be officially recognized as proper grammar because millions are already familiar with using them in this way.
Using they/them is already familiar to us
For society to adapt to using gender-neutral pronouns, it would be more beneficial to use they/them because this set has already been used to signify gender neutrality for generations.
In today's society where the LGBTQ community is starting to receive recognition, many English teachers have already adapted and allowed their students to use they/them as gender-neutral pronouns.
We should use a new set of gender-neutral pronouns for non-binary persons
Some people may not want to uproot the grammatical conventions which have already been set. It would be better and more meaningful to create a new set of pronouns, or use one of the sets that have already been created.
It is improper grammar to use singular "they/them"
It would be detrimental to learning to change the grammatical rules which are already in place, as students would then have to unlearn old grammar - it is more difficult to unlearn something than it is to learn something new. Therefore it is more logical to use a new set of gender-neutral pronouns.
A new gender-neutral pronoun would be more meaningful
Using something new would give those in the LGBTQ community a set of pronouns which they can lay claim to. It would be a point of pride to "own" a unique set of pronouns made specifically for the LGBTQ community.
It should be up to the individual to decide what their pronouns should be
Everyone has a unique opinion, preference, and identity. People should be allowed to express their identities in a way that feels natural to them, and their personal pronouns should be used and respected.
Individuals may not agree with any current pronoun options
If a specific set of pronouns is made official, there is no guarantee that everyone will feel that it is natural or relevant to them. It would only end up being another pronoun set forced upon unwilling persons who feel they identify as something else entirely.
