You know the pronouns "he" and "she" refer to men and women, respectively. 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, but a similar move at the University of Tennessee sparked outrage among state politicians. Here's a table of some common — and uncommon — alternatives to "he" and "she."
Traditional (gender-binary) pronouns
sheherhers
hehimhis
Gender-neutral pronounsPronunciation
they(asterisk)them(asterisk)theirs(asterisk)
zehir hirszhee, heer, heerz
zezirzirszhee, zheer, zheerz
xexemxyrzhee, zhem, zheer
eemeirsee, em, airs
perperpers
huhumhuswho, whom, whose
(asterisk)used as a singular pronoun
Source: Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, the University of Tennessee
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