As a pansexual, my friends should really start using "they" when referring to my crushes of unspecified gender.
Even the ones I've come out to, upon seeing that my crush's name is Nicole, have asked me, "Is that your crush's name? Are they a girl? Wait, you're gay?" Like, bitch, did you think I was kidding when I came out to you to get you to stop saying one kid "looked gay"?
Oh, so grammar rules are more important than validating somebody's feelings, are they? Especially for people who are already condemned by most of society anyway, huh?
Okay.
As a language is around for a while, it evolves. New words and meanings for preexisting words spring up all the time, just as situation requiring these new words and meanings arise. William Shakespear invented tons of words, are those proper English? Or maybe because he didn't ever use the words "vacuum cleaner", that's not a thing either? Words change, language evolves. Get used to it. Once upon a time, we didn't have a singular gender neutral pronoun. And we didn't really need one. (This is not to say people outside of the gender binary didn't exist, I'm just saying that, from my knowledge of history at this moment, I find it safe to assume that they most likely were not as visible or were persecuted if they expressed a desire to not conform to the gender binary.) And then, we did. We already had a plural gender neutral pronoun, so why not eliminate the process of creating a new word and just add a new meaning to a preexisting one?
And if "they" cannot be used to describe a single person, what word do you propose we use for those who don't define themselves as male or female? "It"? Do you propose we reduce these people to the same status as animals and inanimate objects?
Not to mention the disregard for an entire statement based on one word it includes. (And, might I raise to your attention: "huh
hə
exclamation
used to express scorn, anger, disbelief, surprise, or amusement.
"“Huh,” she snorted, “Over my dead body!”"
used in questions to invite agreement or further comment or to express a lack of understanding.
"pretty devastating, huh?"") Returning to my previous example, are the great works of Shakespeare himself now regarded as invalid simply because he needed a word that didn't exist already, so he invented it? Is Dr. Seuss any less of an author because he invented the word "nerd"?
How many times have you used the word bedroom? Blanket? Gossip, perhaps? Maybe COUNTLESS times? Are these words UNREAL, simply because they were invented by an author?
I'm sorry to RANT but your argument is simply LAUGHABLE.
As a lesbean, I really couldn't care less if someone just assumed that my crush was a guy if I hadn't mentioned it. In fact, I'd probably do the same, unless the person had come out. It's best just to accept that heterosexuality is more common, and that fact isn't offensive. Gay people (and people of all sexualities/gender identities/etc) don't need special snowflake treatment.
Even the ones I've come out to, upon seeing that my crush's name is Nicole, have asked me, "Is that your crush's name? Are they a girl? Wait, you're gay?" Like, bitch, did you think I was kidding when I came out to you to get you to stop saying one kid "looked gay"?
As a language is around for a while, it evolves. New words and meanings for preexisting words spring up all the time, just as situation requiring these new words and meanings arise. William Shakespear invented tons of words, are those proper English? Or maybe because he didn't ever use the words "vacuum cleaner", that's not a thing either? Words change, language evolves. Get used to it. Once upon a time, we didn't have a singular gender neutral pronoun. And we didn't really need one. (This is not to say people outside of the gender binary didn't exist, I'm just saying that, from my knowledge of history at this moment, I find it safe to assume that they most likely were not as visible or were persecuted if they expressed a desire to not conform to the gender binary.) And then, we did. We already had a plural gender neutral pronoun, so why not eliminate the process of creating a new word and just add a new meaning to a preexisting one?
hə
exclamation
used to express scorn, anger, disbelief, surprise, or amusement.
"“Huh,” she snorted, “Over my dead body!”"
used in questions to invite agreement or further comment or to express a lack of understanding.
"pretty devastating, huh?"") Returning to my previous example, are the great works of Shakespeare himself now regarded as invalid simply because he needed a word that didn't exist already, so he invented it? Is Dr. Seuss any less of an author because he invented the word "nerd"?
How many times have you used the word bedroom? Blanket? Gossip, perhaps? Maybe COUNTLESS times? Are these words UNREAL, simply because they were invented by an author?
I'm sorry to RANT but your argument is simply LAUGHABLE.