No individual has the right to tell another individual what gender they are and what pronouns they should use. *People don't have the right to enforce the they/them pronouns on everybody e.g. gender neutral* There is an argument within this debate that advocates for the complete gender neutrality of society by only using gender neutral pronouns such as they/them. The argument then is that this will include everybody and avoid gender discrimination. Whilst I understand where this view is coming from, I find it inherently problematic. He/him and she/her as identities and genders still exist. To enforce the total use of they/them pronouns is to completely ignore and remove the pronouns and resultant genders of she/her and he/him. Additionally, this will also ignore the gender fluid individuals who identify as she/him or she/they or he/they. It does not respect the right of those who are cis (identify as the gender they are assigned at birth) or the other identities of gender outside of the they/them pronouns. If somebody says they would like she/her pronouns to be used as that is how they identify, nobody has the right to tell them that those aren't the pronouns they should identify as, rendering their identity as non-existent. By putting all people under one pronoun category, and therefore category of gender, it completely ignores the fact that different genders still do exist. A system of two genders resulted in the expansion of other genders and pronouns as differing genders exist, so surly the same thing will happen if everyone is put under one gender and one pronoun umbrella. *People don't have the right to say the pronouns they/them should not be used* On the other side of the debate is the denial of they/them non-binary pronouns as existing or the refusal to use the pronouns due to the construction of language. Firstly, in my opinion, if an individual identifies as non-binary and prefers the they/them pronouns, I am in no position to tell them that their identity doesn't exist. I am not in their head, I do not know their thoughts and therefore I am in no position to make a decision on their identity. Th best person to make that decision is the individual themselves. Therefore, that individual should not be told their identity does not exist and that their pronouns should not be used. Furthering this, an argument that has frequently been raised is the English language and that the English language does not have the construction to be able to accommodate the they/them pronouns due to the plurality of these pronouns. However, the non-binary identity is essentially plural. It represents both the gender of the woman, the man, and the beyond. Therefore, it in itself is a plural identity. Additionally, reasoning such as language for the lack of acknowledgment of a person's identity is obsolete. As, due to people identifying as non-binary and they/them, the identity does exist already and carries on existing as people are identifying as they/them. Therefore, nobody can say that the identity categorically does not exist. In summary, neither side has any right to enforce their preferred pronouns on any other individual. In my opinion, a person's identity and preferred pronouns should be respected whatever an individual's views on gender or pronouns. I really enjoyed this opinion and would love to hear other views as I find this an incredibly interesting topic and discussion. Resources: Cahill, J. (2019). 'Why I will not b Using your Preferred Pronouns', North Coast Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/why-i-will-not-be-using-your-preferred-pronouns/Content?oid=13044445 Callaham, S. (2019). 'Gender Neutrality: Language, Like Culture, Ever-Evolving', Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheilacallaham/2019/12/22/gender-neutrality-language-like-culture-ever-evolving/?sh=3d464f4f5f2d Saguy, A. & Williams, J. (2019). 'Why W Should All Us They/Them Pronouns'

I agree with this opinion. I think that the pronoun a person wishes to use is such a personal decision for someone, so to try and adopt a blanket rule of calling everyone they/them just does not feel like a good enough solution. As you mentioned, they/them does not also fit the identity of many people, so it would be wrong to label them as this. The pronouns a person wishes to use should be their decision and no one else's.

I completely agree with this view. I believe no one has the right to prescribe pronouns for people's identities, and sweeping everything under 'they' can be reductive. I believe in celebrating difference and personal choice, and therefore I firmly support each individual's decision to choose a pronoun for themselves. Identity is personal and political at the same time, so how we define ourselves in completely up to us and not anyone else. I understand the human need to categorise everything, and nowadays there is the anxiety (rightly directed) to eliminate discrimination. However, we should be careful with the way we represent certain identities, as our way of representation may not necessarily reflect the beautiful differences that exist in every society. Agency is what each social group is striving for and by giving them the choice to choose pronouns we will achieve exactly this. Reply

This creates an interesting problem. Pronouns are almost never used to someone's face. When I speak to someone they will almost never know what gender I think they are because I use their names. Pronouns usually only come up when A speaks to B about C. The problem arises because of the Orwellian concept of Wrongthink. By demanding that someone use your personal pronouns you demand that they affirm your opinion to other people whether or not they share that opinion. Attempting to coerce them to parrot an opinion they don't agree with is wrong and will not endear you or your cause to them. Essentially, the Trans movement's demand for personal expression under the First Amendment cannot come at the expense of other people's First Amendment rights. Whenever the perceived rights of two people come into conflict, the aggressor should usually give way. It is your right to request your personal pronouns. It is not your right to coerce other people to capitulate to your opinions.

Kk so to make my point i will use an example. (No offence to any racial or religious groups intended) Pretend i own a small clothes store, one day a devoute muslim walks in and informs me that my store is haram (violates his religious laws) due to the insturmental music playing in the background and that i must stop playing instrumental music in my store or that i am islamophobic. The above scenario helps illustrate my point, ones personal choices cannot have implications on society. I think if someone wants to be called "xi" or something its resonable for them to exoeft their friends to respect that and refer to them as that, however they begin to impose on people the moment they expect people with a more formal or professional relationship to do so too. Wether it be their professor, the bagger at the local tesco or a random person passing in the street. Note i do think this person should be protected against harrasment where in someone deliberately tries to communicate with them in order to ignore and Mock thier personal choice

Sure, everyone has the right to say about themselves what they want, but they don’t have the right to force me to abide by their whims. A girl can call herself, a they, but I probably won’t address them as such.

You are entitled to however you see yourself. It’s the one thing you are given in this world. While it’s your right to use what you prefer, to expect others to follow through with your personal view will most definitely disappoint you. However, regardless of what others do or don’t do, it’s again solely your decision.

This is a strange question. Of course people have the right to choose their pronouns (I believe in most cases these would be: "I/me/my/mine"; any other pronouns would create a lot of confusion). However, and this also seems obvious, people generally do not have the right to choose what pronouns other people must use. This includes the pronouns people use to refer to the subject in the question.

People have the right to choose their own pronouns, and people have the right to use different pronouns, and people have the right get mad at other people for using the wrong pronouns, and people have the right to start arguments over it at the christmas dinner table. It's all legal, stuff happens, who cares.