As Nicholas Gumas settles into his third year at George Washington University in the U.S. capital, he won't just ask incoming students for names, majors and hometowns. If the situation calls for it, he will ask for preferred gender pronouns (PGPs).
To clarify their gender identity, students can request that others refer to them with traditional pronouns — "he," "him" and "his" or "she," "her and "hers" — or choose from a number of hybrid options, such as "ze," "hir" and "hirs," or use the plural pronoun "they" to refer to an individual.
As president of Allied in Pride, the university's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning organization, Gumas recently hosted the LGBTQ group's first meeting, largely for freshmen.