Question about mixed pronouns

@AffyAvo

Regarding your "Question about mixed pronouns" above.

I too have the same questions.

So I asked Google Bard and Bing Chat GPT-4 in chat conversations.

They gave me similar replies like this:

• A pronoun mix like:
  “he/they” is generally shorthand for
  “use both he/him/his and
  they/them/theirs pronouns”.
  
  
• However, preferences are different for every person
  and the desired balance among different pronouns
  can be different for each person
  
  
• So it’s important to respect each individual’s chosen pronouns
  as it’s a significant aspect of their identity.
  
  
• So if unsure about someone’s pronouns,
  one can ask politely.
  
  
• Also, the singular usage of the word "they" was used in English long ago.
  
  But later there was push back by some 18th century grammarians.
  
  But now it is starting to be considered grammatically correct again.
  
  See Wikipedia article on "Singular They" for a detailed explanation.

@AffyAvo

I'm curious about this too, I've kinda figured it might mean that the person is comfortable with either neutral or gender specified pronouns. Some people prefer ONLY their identified gender pronouns and others only neutral, so I think that either/or might be just stating you can use either?

Just a guess though

It's always best to ask the individual since these responses can vary by person. The answers are not black and white and are defined solely by the person who is identifying. For some, the answers are not clear cut and they may want to try it on first. They could be questioning their identity and trying out how each pronoun feels for them.