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If you’re anything like me, you might be a fan of things that are quirky, weird, and funny, with a healthy dose of fantasy. That’s a big part of what interests me about television like Netflix’s Stranger Things and Amazon’s Good Omens. (And the book too, for the latter.) Despite some problematic elements, and the ongoing issues with the author, it’s also why I loved Harry Potter.

And if you’re like me, you might also take an interest in what fans and fan communities are saying about those shows (or books). Which means...

Ah, the ever-present debate: Is singular they/them grammatically acceptable?

Short answer: Yes.

And now for the longer answer.

It’s a bit more complicated than this, but use of singular they has been around for centuries. The context is different from how we use it now, meaning that probably very few if any English-speakers were using they as a personal pronoun. It’s safe to say, though, that this contemporary use is born from the long history of using it when gender is unknown or irrelevant. For example, “Someone left their umbrella here...

I’ve come under fire before for speaking about allosexual/alloromantic (i.e., not asexual/aromantic), cisgender, heterosexual people writing about LGBTQIA+ people. So I’m prefacing this with a couple of important points:

1. I’m speaking specifically about those who identify themselves as not being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, not “people we think must be allocishetero"
2. I’m not calling for any kind of limit or ban on what people can read or write or publish
3. I’m not in any way suggesting that #OwnVoices books are inherently better written or better quality, only...

It’s that time of year again, when we talk about one of my favorite things: LGBTQIA+ people proudly owning who we are. This is a particularly meaningful year as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall.

This month, we’re featuring a range of books with main characters who identify all across the rainbow:

• Unabiding Halls, by CE Case (lesbian)
• Into the Furnace, by Geonn Cannon (bisexual)
• ...

Are you looking for a great new read? We’ve got you covered.

First, check out these awesome reviews for The Things That Come, by Dan Ackerman:

"While a list hardly does justice to the superbly crafted mix of elements, here are some of the issues represented: mental illness, homophobia, racism, bigotry, self harm, single parenthood, sex work, religion, and disability. Ackerman does a marvelous job working these themes into the fabric of the characters and into their storylines.” -...