In an effort to be more welcoming to people who don’t identify as being either male or female, many colleges are now letting students pick their own pronoun, instead of he/him and she/her, that they want others to use when referring to them.
When the University of Michigan allowed students to designate their preferred pronoun online last September, junior Grant Strobl made national news by declaring that he wanted to be known as “Your Majesty.” But it turns out more than 150 other students also chose outrageous or satirical designations.
Several students, like Strobl, chose designations denoting royalty or political power: “The Exalted King,” “Milord,” “Princess,” “Maharaja,” “Mr. President,” and “Supreme Leader,” according to university records reviewed by Heat Street.
Others chose names from Game of Thrones: “A Man Has No Name,” “Brother of the Night’s Watch,” “Khal,” “King of the North,” and “Kingslayer.”
Two chose “Harambe,” two chose appliance names (“LG LCRT2010ST Microwave Oven” and “Fridge”), and three chose “Dat Boi.”
One student was simply “1st Degree Blackbelt,” while another claimed “Artist Formerly Known as He.” Others, including “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,” “(-b +- sqrt(b^2 – 4ac) ) / 2a” and “?” seemed to just mash their keyboard.
Once a student changes a designation, it appears on the class roster. When the school first announced that students could change their preferred pronouns online, a spokesman said that “if there were a persistent pattern of ignoring a student’s preference, we would address that as a performance matter” with professors.
Rick Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan, said Wednesday that none of the tongue-and-cheek designations discovered by Heat Street were, technically, pronouns, “so they are typically ignored by professors.”
“No one has insisted on pronouns that are not pronouns,” Fitzgerald said. “Most of the 2,000 students who designated pronouns took it seriously. Fewer than 200 did not take it seriously… out of more than 45,000 students on the Ann Arbor campus.”
Around 50 students listed “they” as their preferred pronoun. The vast majority of students listed “he” or “she.”
Fitzgerald said the university is still considering whether the write-in option is necessary, saying that such discussion “is part of the natural review process for this new tool.”
The full list of University of Michigan students’ atypical designations is below.
— Jillian Kay Melchior writes for Heat Street and is a fellow for the Steamboat Institute and the Independent Women’s Forum.