Will Identity Politics Force the Stubborn Mind to Adapt?

I HAVE A friend, Myron, who goes by “they.” Singular “they” has existed since Chaucer’s day, but for the past five years it’s been pressed into service as an epicene, addling reactionaries. I know others who use “they,” but with Myron, rather than merely play the deferential ally, I determined from the start to give my then-new pal’s pronoun my all, to use the “they” with gusto, and to put my linguistic skills where my convictions about identity are.

Narrator: It didn’t go as planned.