THE NEXT GENDERATION

The New York Times recently published a brief etymology of the words “they” and “them” as pronouns for people who identify as genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, gender-nonconforming and other genders. At the Swedish school, Globala gymnasiet, they use the Swedish word “hen” as the pronoun when they describe people. It is a mixture of hon and han, which means he and she and is consequently used by both students and staff. This has led to Globala gymnasiet becoming a pioneer in the new genderation. A student at the school, Ella Wendt Höjer, said it helped her understand her own gender. About six months ago, the students wanted the school to launch trigger warnings, which caused a big debate in Sweden.