Schools must not penalize students for using the singular pronoun “they/them.” Laws must allow for those who identify as transgender and nonbinary to be able to express themselves!
In 2019, the Indian government ruled that transgender people must legally register proof of gender-confirming surgery to recognize their genders legally. This decision might not seem to have anything to do with schools allowing students to use singular “they” pronouns in academic writing, but the two are highly related.
Many transgender people and nonbinary people use “they/them” pronouns to refer to themselves, even though they are singular people, and “they” is usually seen as a plural pronoun. As a result, many strict grammarians, like school teachers, do not allow the use of “they” as a singular pronoun in academic writings like essays.
Because of the majority-transphobic culture in India, as an Indian-American, not only did I hear of families deserting their children on streets to preserve the family name, some families committed homicide against their own transgender children. Due to this emotional commotion, a whopping 50% of transgender children in India commit suicide before they turn twenty.
However, allowing greater usage of the singular “they” in academia can help raise visibility and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people, eventually leading to more tolerance and fewer tragedies such as suicides and unaccepting laws in India.
Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising That Changed America by Martin Duberman explains the violations and police brutalizations made by the NYPD at Stonewall, a local bar in a gay and transgender community in New York. LGBTQ rights came to the forefront in major protests against these attacks by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two transgender women living in New York City who cared for other community members. They bravely fought off any dissenters and picked up transgender children on roads where transphobic families had abandoned them.
In schools, especially in public schools controlled by the government, students should be allowed to use the singular “they” in academic writings rather than deeming it ungrammatical. Many students believe in “they” pronouns, recognizing that some people do not identify as male or female but rather in the middle or as a different gender. It is entirely alright to identify outside the gender binary, and it is unjust that teachers give failing marks on tests and homework because they use singular “they” pronouns in writing.
The government must not violate LGBTQIA+ rights. Like the protestors in India cried, “Love is love.” Someone’s gender identity or pronouns should not reduce their rights. The government must allow people to live their lives as freely as they please. Laws that enforce people and warp natural laws and human rights are really not laws. They are just foolish words or thoughts. People should be free to live and express their thoughts and morals. Liberatus! Freedom!
- United States of America