My youngest daughter is beginning her freshman year of college, and is getting reports from her high school friends about their experiences. One of her good friends, who is attending a Big Ten university, said that at the first meeting she attended, the person in charge began the meeting by asking all of the students present what pronoun they want to be used in referring to them. All of the kids responded in a biologically and grammatically appropriate manner.
Young people just think this is stupid–one more silly obstacle that they need to navigate. Am I the only one who considers such questions insulting? If someone asked me whether I want to be referred to as a he, a she, or an it, I think I would respond: Is there something about my appearance that is creating doubt in your mind? Maybe if more people pushed back, such nonsense would go out of style more quickly.
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