Lily Gladstone shares pronoun preferences.

Lily Gladstone shares pronoun preferences.

 

Lily Gladstone, a star known for her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon," recently shared her preference for using both she and they as pronouns. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Lily discussed her experience growing up and witnessing her boy cousins being misgendered due to their long hair.

 This experience led her to believe that everyone should be referred to using the pronoun "they."

Lily, who has Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, highlighted the prevalence of misgendering among Native boys who leave communities where long hair is celebrated, only to face teasing for it elsewhere.

 This experience shaped her belief that using "they" as a gender-neutral pronoun would be more inclusive and respectful.

She also explained that in most Native languages, including Blackfeet and other Indigenous languages, there are no gendered pronouns. Instead, there is only the gender-neutral pronoun "they." 

This linguistic aspect further reinforced Lily's belief in the importance of using gender-neutral language.

Lily's perspective sheds light on the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped her preference for using both she and they pronouns.

Lily mentioned to the media, "It's not as common now, but there have been several instances in my life where I've been conversing with a native speaker of a northern Cheyenne or another Indigenous language, and they accidentally use the wrong gender pronoun when addressing me. 

Then they feel embarrassed about it, but it's because they learned English later."

She further explained, "In Blackfeet culture, we don't use gendered pronouns, but our gender is implied in our names. Even then, it's not strictly binary."

Lily highlighted, "Historically and even today, many women have been given men's names and have fulfilled traditional male roles in society, such as providers and warriors."

She expressed, "For me, using specific pronouns is a way to reclaim gender identity from colonial influence."

Additionally, Lily emphasized that her pronoun use "is also a way to acknowledge that I may feel different when I'm with a group of women. In a group of men, I don't identify as one of them. I don't feel masculine at all; in fact, I may feel more feminine around men."