How do you refer to someone that has a non binary gender? I assume saying he or she would be offensive/rude. And obviously you wouldn't say it because that just sounds degrading
I guess the best way to find out is to ask them. If that doesn't work, I recommend you go with "they".
I've heard "em" used as an all-purpose, unisex pronoun, but I don't really know. PS, that's "em", not "'em" (short for "them"), at least I think. In practice, this one's a little awkward, though.
This question is very tricky because there is no established pronoun for non-binary people like there is for males and females. It really depends on the individual. I think that "they" is the best default pronoun, but you should ask people about which one they like best. Here is a link that lists several non-binary pronouns: Gender Neutral Pronoun Blog | or The Search for a Polite Specific Gender-Neutral Third-Person Singular Pronoun And here is a link that has some non-binary titles and words: Gender Queeries I hope you find these links informative!
I tried to use "Zhe" for the past month now. EVERY SINGLE TIME I used it, the other people looked at me lile I had a third eye. I like the idea, because every person should have a name and a matching pronoun, but everyone is pretty unaware of the gender-neutral deals people have invented. Oh well, I'll keep trying. I should add, I used it in cases where I wasn't sure if the person was male or female. Trans or not, I would hate to call a feminine man "she" or a masculine woman "he" simply on principle.
It depends on the person. In an analogous situation, people can be very sensitive even when it comes to something not related to gender. Some people just don't care and nothing offends them. But I guess that doesn't solve the issue of gender neutral pronouns. I guess I'm bad at everything like that and use the old "hey guys" when talking to a mixed crowd.
since you know the person is non-binary they have communicated with you, right? we are not talking about just walking up to a person we don't know here as the douches about have stated and invalidate people every person so far who has stated they are non-binary has given me their presered gender address form and then I honor it one friend was Bi-gender and preferred Zie, which I had never heard of and they gave me references seen above another who was gender fluid prefers she on almost all occasions and I honored that many years ago a person I know preferred both He/She depending on how they presented - you just judged by the dress that day, just ask when they tell you their non-binary status what they prefer - then honor who they are and tlet them be who they are - always celebrate our differences and never dishonor anyone
Typically, I use they unless asked to use something else, such as ze. Occasionally, they also prefer binary pronouns, but I don't use these unless specifically requested.
As others have said they/their is usually a good default for non-binary folk, but always ask them what they prefer.
Truth be told I've never met anyone who told me of an intermediate gender status. But being the grammar martinet that I am I am inclined to stay away from "they" and use something like "ze."
How do you pronounce "Ze" or "Zhe" by the way? Never ran into the chance to use it, so now I'm interested.