I have been thinking lately about pronouns as part of a person’s name. Or maybe as a secondary name.
Like, a name is to identify and describe a person and so are personal pronouns. A lot of functions of personal pronouns which people have a hard time understanding sometimes become much clearer when you think about them as a different kind of name or a part of a name.
Some people change their pronouns over time. Just like names.
Some people use pronouns that don’t conform to their gender. Just like names.
Some people use uncommon pronouns. Just like names.
Some people use different pronouns in different social or cultural contexts or just around different people. Just like names.
Some people have several sets of pronouns they find acceptable. Just like names.
Some people signify a significant part of their identity with their pronouns while others don’t. Just like names.
A person has got their name and their pronouns and they kind of work together to represent that person in language, and a person gets to decide how they want that representation to happen.
(via celestialmechanic)






























