Bongiovanni & Jimerson’s A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns is just that. It is a guide to help people understand how to use gender neutral pronouns when referring to non-binary oriented people. Told through comics style panels, the pair focus on they/them, but make a note that there are many sets of gender neutral pronouns.

I felt the material in this pamphlet style guide was imminently useful. This is important as both culture and language grow and change. Peoples’ preferences and identity choices should be respected. It’s not that these concepts are far-fetched. Indeed, plenty of cultures through time, and across the world, have had concepts of all manner of gender orientation, which where part and parcel of what that culture was. The pendulum is merely swinging back.

So, why a three-star rating? Several parts felt extremely judgemental to me. If you are trying to educate recalcitrant people, implying they are jerks for not wanting to learn, or not understanding why they should learn, is detrimental to the intended goal. As an open-minded person who will happily use whatever you want me to call you, I was offended. People who are close-minded are going to be moreso, and it will close them down even more, making them less receptive to the message. I get the frustration. I know what it’s like to be ‘different’ and to feel you have to justify yourself, but being insulting isn’t going to make people listen more. With a few tweaks, this would be an excellent quick teaching tool.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.