That’s exactly what happened. Sometimes Leo forgot. When he said, "She’s on the swings," Ms. Kim would gently say, "They," and Leo would say, "Right. They’re on the swings." After a few weeks, it became as natural as breathing.
The next day at school, their teacher, Ms. Kim, asked everyone to share a drawing. Gracie Jane held up the galaxy. gracie jane genderx
"Let's find out together," she said.
That night, Gracie Jane drew a picture. On one side, they drew a sun labeled "She." On the other side, a moon labeled "He." But in the middle, they drew a swirling galaxy of purple and green and gold. They wrote above it: That’s exactly what happened
Maya looked at the drawing for a long time. Then she said, "I think I feel like a girl most days. But some days, I feel like no words fit either." She paused. "Can I borrow your drawing? I want to show my mom." Kim would gently say, "They," and Leo would say, "Right
Ms. Kim nodded. "Thank you, Sam. And thank you, Gracie Jane, for trusting us with your galaxy. From now on, in this classroom, we will use 'they' and 'them' for Gracie Jane. We all make mistakes sometimes, and that’s okay. When we do, we simply say, 'Oh, sorry, they,' and we try again."