What Is Your Preferred Pronoun?

Should we always ask others about their preferred pronoun?

Recently, our society has become more aware of the fact that the way a person looks on the outside may not necessarily match how they feel on the inside. For example, you might look like a boy, but inside you feel like a girl.

Imagine yourself to be such a person: People always assume you're a boy, and they always refer to you as a he or a him. But inside, you feel like a she or a her. The fact that people are making wrong assumptions about your gender could possibly cause you a lot of pain.

To address this problem, many teachers have started asking their students:

• What is your preferred pronoun?

What they're asking is this: Do you want me to call you a he, a she, or a they? ("They" is often used by people who feel like they're not entirely male or female, but something in between).

What do you think of this trend?

Political conservatives often decry (denounce) this trend. They say it's silly.

Political liberals see this trend as part of a larger fight for LGBTQ equality. And they're happy to let each person decide for themselves what pronoun fits them best.

What does Mr. Hall think?

I don't usually go out of my way to ask each student about their preferred pronoun. However, if I make a wrong assumption about your gender, please let me know, and I'll be happy to correct my mistake.

Instructions for the Quiz

Answer the questions.

Quiz