[CLASS] I swim. You swim. We swim.
[TEACHER] Very good, everyone. Now, Farhad, do you swim?
[FARHAD] I swim.
[TEACHER] Everyone, Farhad swims. So...
[CLASS] He swims.
[TEACHER] Good. Now let's conjugate the verb 'to swim' with the other pronouns.
[CLASS] She swims. They swim.
[TEACHER] Zir swims. Ze swims. Sie sw....what's wrong?
[LUIS] I no understand.
[TEACHER] That's okay, 'I *don't* understand.' And that's alright, Luis!
So, 'I' is the first person pronoun used when you're referring to yourself.
[FARHAD] I swim!
[TEACHER] Correct!
[LUIS] Yes, I understand 'I,' pero I no understand what is that?
[TEACHER] Oh, they are all gender-neutral pronouns.
[YUKI] What does that mean?
[TEACHER] Gender-neutral pronouns are what you use when you're referring to someone
who doesn't want to be referred to by traditional masculine or feminine pronouns, like 'he' or 'she.'
[YUKI] So, not a boy, not a girl?
[TEACHER] That's right, Yuki.
[LUIS] Is he gay?
[TEACHER] No, well, not necessarily.
[LUIS] My brother, he gay. Is he one of them?
[TEACHER] Do you know your brother's preferred pronouns?
[LUIS] I don't know. My family no speak to him.
[TEACHER] Okay, cultures are different.
It's important when studying and practicing English that you stay sensitive to the pronouns of others.
[FARHAD] Not boy, not girl...
[TEACHER] Uh, that's a table, Farhad.
'It' is a table. You see, the table didn't choose its gender, objects can't do that.
But people can!
For example, what is Yuki?
[FARHAD] Girl?
[TEACHER] Well, maybe! We don't want to misgender Yuki!
[YUKI] Yes, I am a girl!
[TEACHER] Ehh, you could be.
[YUKI] I am!
[TEACHER] Yeah, but you could also be someone who was assigned female at birth,
but now identifies as non-binary, so we would in fact use a gender-neutral pronoun for you, like 'Ze.'
[LUIS] What is 'assign'? Is homework?
[TEACHER] Uh, no no, 'assign' is how you look on the outside.
But how you feel on the inside, that is how we identify.
[FARHAD] I-dentify swims!
[TEACHER] Really, Farhad?
[YUKI] I am confused.
[TEACHER] You shouldn't be confused, Yuki!
[YUKI] Sorry.
[TEACHER] It's really not that hard, you guys. There's only 63 pronouns!
[YUKI] 63 pronouns!?!
[TEACHER] Yes! And it's important before speaking to anyone that you ask,
'what is your preferred gender pronoun?'
[LUIS] I have to ask everyone that?
[TEACHER] Yes. Of course!
Luis, what if you accidentally referred to a 'Ze' as a 'Za'? Wouldn't you be embarrassed?
[LUIS] No?
[TEACHER] Of course you would! You should be embarrassed!
And you know what else? It's offensive! Right?
[LUIS] Right?
[TEACHER] And you want to be a gender ally, right?
[LUIS] Right...
[TEACHER] You're not learning English to be a bigot, are you?
[LUIS] Okay...
[TEACHER] Alright! Luis gets it. Okay, so who is still confused?
[TEACHER] S**t.
[FARHAD] S**t swims!
