"We know definitely of 'he/him/his,' 'she/her/hers,' and 'they/them/theirs.' We also have things like, 'ze/zir/zirs,'" says Joel Gemino, Youth Services Manager at the LGBTQ Center in Long Beach, California.
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There are many different choices when it comes to pronouns, and using someone's preferred pronoun is a sign of inclusion and respect.
"For someone to feel good about a certain pronoun, there's a very personal understanding around it," Gemino added.
TikTok content creator Shane Donovan (@shanexplains), who is gay, stated, "My pronouns are 'he/him/his' and honestly for me personally, the identification, it really doesn't hold much of a factor. To me, it's not the most important. But for others it is."
We are all familiar with "he/him/his" and "she/her/hers" but many people who identify as non-binary choose to use "they/them/theirs."
Non-binary is an umbrella term that can include identities such as genderqueer, agender, or bigender that fit outside of man-woman binary roles.
"I'm trans and I use "they/them" pronouns, because to me they're the most gender neutral pronouns," commented Izzi Kessner, a circus artist and content creator.
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There are also other gender neutral pronouns like "ze" and "hir." "Ze" replaces "she/he/they" and "hir" replaces "her/hers/him/his/them/theirs."
Some people go by interchangeable pronouns like "he/him/she/her," "they/he," "they/she" or just one set like "they/them."
Others prefer not to use pronouns at all, using their name as a pronoun instead. So how do you know what pronoun to use?
Gemino continued, "One of the things that you can do - if you're comfortable - is to say for example, 'Hi. My name is Joel and I use he, him and his pronouns.' And what that does is open up a door for others to share the same."
Donovan added, "If somebody makes a mistake with a pronoun, I think it's just important to accept the fact that 'Oh, my mistake, what are your pronouns,' or just use the pronouns somebody is asking you to use."
Non-profit organization GLSEN works to create a better world for LGBTQ+ students, and they provide more information about pronouns here.