Language is constantly changing to adapt to the changes in our world. We don’t speak the way we did in Shakespearean times, in the early 20th century or even from a few years ago. This is because the surrounding world is so much different.

Language is also much more powerful than we might think. How often you speak, the content of your speech and the way in which you speak all reflect who you are as a person. Words also have the incredible power to affect people in nearly every stretch of the imagination. We've all been encouraged by a friend, gotten in fights with loved ones and felt love for another - all influenced in some way by words.

If words hold this much power, why do we not put more thought into them, especially when it comes to a person’s gender identity? We’ve been socially constructed to believe that our gender must fit into one of two boxes: male or female. Placing yourself in one of these boxes comes with a whole load of strings attached, often dictating what you wear, how you act and generally how you live your life. Some people are beginning to say, “Hey, I like things in both boxes. Why would I just choose one?” or, “I don’t really like things in either of those boxes, I’m gonna make my own box” OR countless other combinations that can involve or not involve ANY BOXES.

While society is at least beginning to recognize that this is a thing, our language definitely does not reflect it. We made the change to saying “he/she” instead of just “he” as a singular pronoun a while ago. While this does include women, it does not include everyone. This is why a general “they” would fit perfectly into nearly every situation. While using “they” as a singular pronoun is becoming much more widespread, it’s still not accepted in some circles who claim it’s not grammatically correct. This is where I reference my earlier comments about language: it is constantly changing. Why do we value grammatical correctness over the inclusion of everyone? And if that is such a big deal, why can’t we change the rule and make it grammatically correct? Or come up with a different inclusive term that is? My point is that we should all be making a conscious effort to use “they” as the default pronoun. While it might at first be somewhat of an adjustment, it’s not hard to switch a sentence around to accommodate for it -- and often that is not even necessary.

There are also so many professions and general phrases that include gendered language. Fireman, mailman, and businessman are a few examples that can easily be changed to a firefighter, mail carrier or business person. A few phrases are “the best man for the job” “man the booth” and “mankind.” These are obviously all centered around men and can be easily adjusted to “the best person for the job,” “staff the booth” and “humanity” or “humankind.”

Why is this all so important, you ask? As I mentioned before, language is incredibly important. If we’re constantly reading books about strong firemen who save damsels in distress, we begin to internalize it. If we’re constantly seeing “he/she” in writing, it reinforces the gender binary in our brains. If we often hear phrases that revolve around men, it reinforces subliminal and patriarchal thoughts of men holding power which can be internalized in many dangerous ways.

On the flip side of this, if we consume media involving people of all genders performing various jobs having nothing to do with gendered boxes, we have no gendered expectations and internalize inclusivity. If we read and hear “they” as opposed to “he/she," we have less of a concept of the gender binary. If phrases revolving solely around men are gone, we are one step closer to destroying the patriarchy.