Use of preferred gender pronouns indicates expanding acceptance of transgender

[Amelia Pond]

Use of preferred gender pronouns indicates expanding acceptance of transgender people
Ruth Tam, The Huffington Post, September 5, 2013

As Nicholas Gumas settles into his third year at George Washington University, he won't just be asking incoming students for names, majors and home towns. If the situation calls for it, he says he'll ask for preferred gender pronouns, or PGPs.

To clarify their gender identity, students can request that others refer to them with traditional pronouns (he, him, his or she, her, hers), pick from a number of hybrid options, such as ze, hir, hirs, or use the plural pronoun "they" to refer to an individual.

As president of Allied in Pride, GW's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning organization, Gumas hosted the LGBTQ group's first meeting, largely for freshmen, on Thursday night.

Freshmen "who come from progressive or urban areas may have been asked [for their PGPs] before, but others may not have," he said. Asking "is one of the easiest things you can do to help out the transgender population."