Glossary: Some common (and uncommon) gender-neutral pronouns
The pronouns “he” and “she” refer to men and women, obviously. But a group of gender-neutral pronouns has sprung up, including “ze” or “per,” sometimes used in the transgender community or among those who don’t identify as male or female. Colleges including Harvard and American universities have allowed students to choose gender-neutral pronouns. Here’s a table of some common — and uncommon — alternatives to “he” and “she.”
| Traditional (gender-binary) pronouns | |
| she, her, hers | |
| he, him, his | |
| Gender-neutral pronouns | Pronunciation |
| they, them, theirs (used as a singular pronoun) | |
| ze, hir, hirs | zhee, heer, heerz |
| ze, zir, zirs | zhee, zheer, zheerz |
| xe, xem, xyr | zhee, zhem, zheer |
| e, em, eirs | ee, em, airs |
| per, per, pers | |
| hu, hum, hus | who, whom, whose |
Source: Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, the University of Tennessee