This month we celebrate LGBTQ Pride and Inclusion

In high school, I wrote an essay using
“s/he” throughout, for “he or she.” I liked the idea of a universal “s/he,” but my teacher corrected my work, educating me about the universal “he.” Why “he” would win over “s/he” as universal, I did not know. But that’s how it was. 

In my next essay I wrote, “If one wants… they should….” Again, I was corrected, this time because “one” was singular, and “they” was plural. But again, “they” appealed to me. I was not thinking of
non-binary individuals at that point, but I did want to elevate the person over the gender. “They” assumed no gender, and highlighted, instead, the ultimate point of the sentence. 

Now, I am no longer corrected based on grammar. Because a person could easily use s/he or they. Language evolves. And so do attitudes about acceptance, which is why, this month, we celebrate LGBTQ pride.