I saw a tweet recently about the usage of "any/all" pronoun, or more specifically about putting that in your bio and the expectations that might entail. I'd not quote the tweet here because it's dismissive in a mean-spirited way, but it does make me think. Some people "any/all" pronoun in their bio apparently because they want other people to get creative when referring to them. The author of that tweet then used it a free pass to refer to them with an "it" and then proceeded to feign bafflement than the other person found it offensive.
Like, yeah, if you look at it mechanically, "any/all" pronoun includes "it". That's a pronoun, after all. Surely it's no less valid than making up a new word on the spot like "xe"? But if you look at how third-person pronouns are used, that's very obviously and very deliberately disrespectful.
I like to joke that I use "any pronoun" because I have no respect for the English language (I actually do, to a ridiculous degree). I've written about this, way back in 2023, and my thoughts on it haven't changed much. I have a pretty decent idea of what gender I am, but I don't really mind being thought of as a different gender. Additionally, because of the culture within which I grew up, I find that how I see myself is not more important than how you see me. Third-person pronouns is decided by how you see me, and for me, sure, you can see me as any gender you like. Refer to me as a he, or a she, or a they. Make up a new word if you find me so fascinating.
It, though. Well, the way the English language work is that, "it" is kind of a special pronoun because it's distinctly not used for a person, but only for objects or concepts, things you don't assume has a mind of their own; even to animals we often avoid using "it". To use "it" is to exclaim that, to you, this person is a lesser being.
Of course that's offensive! The common understanding is that "pronouns in bio" is used to explain your gender, or i.e. how you want other people to see you. Someone who use any pronouns is giving you grace to decide for yourself how you want to see them. To use "it" in casual conversation is to basically trample over that social contract; to find making snarky linguistic commentary more important than treating the other person as a human being.
It's obviously a different matter if the other person straight up use "it" in their bio; I find this occasionally for people who want to only be seen for their work, not for themselves, or to be thought of as a faceless organization. Those usually come with the unspoken implication that they'd rather not be engaged with as a human being, which is fine. On the internet, everyone gets to decide which face they're wearing. You just kinda have to make reasonable assumptions of how to interact with those faces.
