Scarleteen

So my younger brother asked me why do some people put different kinds of pronouns on their social media bio today.

Since our native language doesn't really have a pronouns system like English, it's kinda tough for me to explain to him why does English have she/they, he/they, they/them and other kinds of pronouns.

Him asking me today made me realized that I don't really know how to tell him about the differences between those pronouns since he barely knows about topics like non-binary, transgender or other kinds of gender identities.

He also didn't know that I use she/they online, and if he asked why I use that all of a sudden, I don't think I can give him a clear answer since I'm not even sure if I'm non-binary or not.

I hope this post makes sense!

Hi hiImcrocheting,

How old is your brother? Because, depending on his age, I think there are a few different ways (or resources) that could help him understand pronouns.

Hi Sam

My brother is 15 years old! And due to our education and culture, we don't really have a chance in school to learn about these things, I only get to know about these because I spend quite some time online.

Got it. So, I might stick to a simpler explanation to start and then see what his questions are. You could explain that other languages have pronouns that, among other things, indicate the gender of a person. In other words, the pronouns help us know whether someone is man, woman, non-binary person, etc. That may end up being enough for him, but if it isn't we could also give you some articles from here that might help him dig deeper into the idea of gender.

Hi Sam

Ok! Thanks so much for the tip!
If it's ok, can I ask for the links to the articles that you mentioned? Since personally I want to learn more about the idea of gender too!

Of course!

Here are two good starting points:
Genderpalooza! A Sex & Gender Primer
Trans Summer School: What's the Deal With Gender?

What do you think?