“Knowing someone’s pronouns is very important!! It shows that you respect them as well as their identity,” Project Smile member, sophomore Sophia Rodarte said.

Pronouns have been more than out there in 2020, although they have been around for a very long time. Many people are starting to get into the gist of being expressive with themselves and who they are as a person.  

“Pronouns are just a new part of introductions and self-expression that weren’t considered in the past,” states Rodarte. 

“Gender Pronouns are words that refer to someone you’re talking about like: their dog looks rad or her hair color looks sick!,” GSA President Max Torres says. 

Pronouns like 

• she/her 
• they/them 
• he/him 
• they/she 

• he/they 
• ze/hir 

are some of the many pronouns people use to identify their authentic self.  

“Knowing someone’s pronouns is very important because you never know what kind of issues they may be dealing with. Having someone call you by the right pronouns feels marvelous and makes you feel complete and comfortable. It’s one simple question that can make that person’s day,” says Torres.  

Knowing someone’s pronouns is also a sign of respect to who they are and who they wish to be. You could ask someone’s pronouns respectfully by asking questions like:

• “What pronouns do you use?” 
• “How would you like to be addressed?” 
• “My name is Sparky, my pronouns are they/she. What about you?” 

To really understand the use of pronouns, Torres says, “I would say it’s easier than you may think it is. Y’know when a stranger accidentally says, ‘He’s cute,’ to your female dog? And you correct them? And then they correct themselves? It’s not any harder than that! If someone is asking to go by different pronouns, simply respect them and be on with your day. If you keep messing up, you could try using practice sentences to help you. For example, he/she/they are going to the store tomorrow, etc. Everyone uses pronouns, and everyone deserves to have something as simple as that respected.”