Why kids are turning to nongendered pronouns

[Jilly_in_VA]

Words mean everything to 13-year-old Amelia Blackney.

At a younger age, Amelia was most definitely a "she." The Santa Rosa, California, resident was born a girl, raised as a girl and socialized with friends as a girl.

Somewhere along the way, Amelia's feelings about gender identity started to change. Instead of identifying as a girl, Amelia began to feel different. About six months after turning 12, Amelia was ready to lean into a new life. The young person celebrated with new pronouns: they/them.

"I didn't feel like a girl, but I never really felt like a boy, so I had to find something that was in the middle of both," Amelia said. "I settled on pronouns that didn't represent a gender but instead put me between two genders. That way it's like I'm not a part of any gender or I can be both genders at the same time. My pronouns now put me at a place where I can decide between different genders. That feels right."

Amelia, who now identifies as nonbinary, isn't the only young person changing pronouns these days; across the country tweens and teens are embracing nongendered iterations of these familiar words.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/19/health/pronouns-guide-for-parents-wellness/index.html