Half of schools in the US encourage use of gender-neutral pronouns for inclusivity

“There’s always the fear of unacceptance and confusion, but your pronouns are a right that can never be taken away,” agender student Cruz told GLSEN, an education organization that supports safe and LGBTQ+ inclusive schools. “It is very anxiety-inducing to say, ‘Actually, my pronouns are … and it is appreciated that you use them.'”

Schools can be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students and support them in initiating that conversation with peers and teachers, however, not all schools do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2022 school profile data. The data released in March 2024 shows that the state a child lives in can impact whether or not they feel welcome at school—a dynamic with potentially deadly consequences for LGBTQ+ youth.