The people who promote this stuff have no idea how silly it looks to average people.

USA Today reports.

Ve said, xe said: A guide to gender-neutral language

The college experience has started to change in small but profound ways for non-binary students — those who don’t identify strictly as female or male — as administrations push to make students across the gender spectrum feel more comfortable on campuses by adopting more inclusive language.

In 2014, the University of Vermont became the first school to allow students to select their preferred pronouns, like xe or zir, in a campus-wide database. Harvard University, the University of California system and the University of Tennessee, among others, have since followed suit.

But for those unfamiliar with gender-neutral pronouns, using them properly can prove confusing, sometimes simply due to the abundance of terms available

Some widely used pronouns include, but are not limited to, they, ne, ze (singular)/hir (possessive), ze (singular)/zir (possessive), spivak, ve and xe. Each pronoun has first-, second- and third-person conjugations plus plural versions.

The pronoun an individual elects to use is based primarily on personal preference.

Jabcob Tobia, a Duke University graduate who appeared on a genderqueer-themed episode of MTV’s docuseries True Life last year (“genderqueer” also refers to people who identify with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders) prefers the pronoun “they” and says people sometimes wrongfully assume that those who prefer such pronouns are being “picky.”

“It’s about being accurate, and it’s about being respected and understood by those around you,” says Tobia, a genderqueer advocate. “The people who are picky are the people who can’t bring themselves to possibly use a gender-neutral pronoun.”