SGA Amends Gender Pronouns in Constitution

By Rupsha Basu News Editor and Luke White SGA Beat Writer

The 48th Legislature of the Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously passed an amendment on Monday that will remove all instances of language that impose gender binaries, such as “he” and “she,” within the Constitution.

Since the bill is an amendment, it must pass two-thirds of the legislature or 26 votes — whichever is greater — and then must be approved by a majority of students voting in a University-wide referendum in order to take effect.

The amendment proposes that all instances of gender-specific language, such as the pronouns “he” and “she” and variations thereof, be changed to “they,” “them” and “their” to accommodate those who hold non-binary gender identities.

According to College senior and Emory Pride President Kolia Kroeger, who identifies as non-binary and uses pronouns such as “they,” “them” and “their,” those pronouns are sufficiently inclusive for all gender-identities. Gender-inclusive language is meant to accommodate those whose gender identity cannot be categorized as “male” or “female” and those who reject standard masculine and feminine pronouns.

College junior and SGA President Jon Darby, who co-authored the bill along with College sophomore and SGA Campus Services Chairman Max Zoberman, explained that the idea for the amendment came to him on National Coming Out Day last year, when he was asked to consider what he could do to make the Emory community more inclusive.

“It struck me when I was reading through the Constitution that there were lots of ‘he or her’ and ‘she or him,’” Darby said. “I didn’t think those were very inclusive pronouns, and I knew that [this change] was something very tangible that I could do to make the realm of student government more inclusive to people who may not identify with those pronouns.”

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, non-binary identities include those individuals who are genderqueer, a term for those who identify as neither entirely male nor entirely female, or gender non-conforming, a term for those whose gender expression from societal gender roles, among others.

The movement for gender-inclusive language has evolved and at times goes head-to-head with advocates for English grammar. Using “they” pronouns to refer to singular people, some critics have argued, is grammatically incorrect because “they” is standardly used to refer to multiple people.

“The reason I wrote it that way is because when I talk to people about this issue, they normally get really hung up on the singular ‘they,’” Darby said. “It’s strange to use ‘they’ in a singular form, but I didn’t think that was a good enough reason to not have an inclusive pronoun.”

College junior and Vice President of Emory Pride Nowmee Shehab, who is also a member of Emory Pride, also noted the irrelevance of grammar rules. “Language is fluid and changes everyday,” Shehab said. “I think having gender inclusive language in our Constitution should be prioritized over following an outdated and elitist idea of linguistic rigidity.”

The actual text of the amendment expresses the need for a governing document that does not marginalize certain groups on campus with outdated and wording. Furthermore, the amendment gives context for the move by referencing various sources that attest to the fact that gender is a social construction, that gender-inclusive pronouns are grammatically correct and viable and that organizations such as Facebook have already adopted “they/their” as a substitute for “he/she” and “his/her.”

Darby said that through the process of researching the use of “they” as a singular pronoun, he learned that the singular “they” is not only grammatically correct but is also highly practical and expedient in certain circumstances. In an effort to anticipate arguments about this specific use of the singular “they,” Darby cited some of this research within the text of the amendment.

“This [amendment] represents a change in ideology,” Zoberman said. “This doesn’t affect anyone’s pocket, this doesn’t affect anyone’s life ... This would be the University’s way of putting its money where its mouth is and saying ‘we’re ready to be better.’”

However, Kroeger said they were concerned that the amendment does not go far enough to demonstrate that Emory is committed to education and inclusion.

“I think the change is of huge symbolic nature,” Kroeger said. “However, I hope that Emory is dedicated to actually educating students on social issues rather than remaining content with symbols as the institution has in the past.”

Shehab also expressed concern about discrimination on campus.

“Trans and genderqueer people face extreme marginalization in society and, even within our Emory bubble, face exclusion and discrimination,” Shehab said.

According to Darby, despite the difficulty of passing amendments — he noted that the Constitution had not changed much in recent decades — he was optimistic about the likelihood that this amendment would be approved.

“I’m hoping that with this particular amendment, people see that we’re trying to create a more inclusive community and make sure that people feel welcome,” Darby said.

Zoberman emphasized the importance of passing the amendment.

“We [must] show that we are ready to be a modern University with modern ideas,” he said. “If there was serious legislative opposition, it would be disgraceful.”

At the meeting, there was no debate regarding the amendment, and the bill passed unanimously without any dissent.​

—By Rupsha Basu, News Editor and Luke White, SGA Beat Writer

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