capitocoto t1_itbfnbv wrote on October 22, 2022 at 10:44 AM

Reply to comment by [deleted] in A Queer Community Speaks Up for Student After Teacher's Transphobia by wdcmsnbcgay

Neopronouns are functionally rare.

My office has a lot of trans folks and many nonbinary. We have… two? People who use neopronouns and both also use they.

I am trans and I have a social circle that has a lot of other trans people including a lot of nonbinary people and none of them use neopronouns.

They exist. But they are rare.

[deleted] t1_itbs1r4 wrote on October 22, 2022 at 1:02 PM

Yeah I've only run into one person who uses neopronouns but all of the trans and nonbinary people in my life use they/them and I know it is extremely rare.

I guess i was more curious why a school would have progressive policies but draw the line at neopronouns. They recognize trans people and their preferred pronouns and the counselors I work with even help the older students go through legal change of name process. There lack of support because it's rare would make sense but all of these other policies and meetings were for a handful of students.

capitocoto t1_itbv99z wrote on October 22, 2022 at 1:30 PM

I mean, within the trans community neopronouns are sometimes contentious. Not in the “don’t use them, they are an abomination” way that you see on with the Alt-Right, but in the “we are still in a deep conversation about what they convey and how they can be used appropriately.”

As a rare function, i can imagine that some places might avoid their use as a way to avoid misuse. I am trans and I am often unsure how to decline vaer or fae. I also have concerns that when I vocalize them (vs typing) I cannot hear a distinct difference between they, xe, ze, fae, and vie. So it always feels like I am saying they even when I am trying not to.

Neopronouns, I think, are still in a stage of growing pains.

[deleted] t1_itby9dl wrote on October 22, 2022 at 1:55 PM

This makes a lot more sense. I also could see the lack of defined neopronouns causing the school to currently reject them all instead of trying to determine what's accepted.