The French Non-binary Pronoun War Heats Up

You’ll recall that I discussed this here: Chris of Rights: Umm…I don’t Get It

Well, it’s back in the news again.

Althouse: "There are two pronouns: he and she. Our language is beautiful. And two pronouns are appropriate."

Said the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, quoted in "In a Nonbinary Pronoun, France Sees a U.S. Attack on the Republic/When a French dictionary included the gender-nonspecific 'iel' for the first time, a virulent reaction erupted over 'wokisme' exported from American universities" (NYT).

Lilian Delhomme, 24, a gender-nonconforming student of international affairs at the University of Paris 8 who has been using the pronoun “iel” for about a year, was appalled by Ms. Macron’s statement.

“This for me was very violent,” Mx. Delhomme said in an interview. “Coming from the first lady, from a woman, from a French teacher, from someone whose relationship went against many societal norms, it made me lose hope.”

The French First Lady is opposed to the language addition. She says it’s a beautiful language, and this is an awkward addition. She’s correct on both counts. If they actually had a true non-binary pronoun, that might be worthwhile, but a non-binary pronoun that has two gender forms is, well, stupid.