I HATE gender-neutral pronouns. In refuse to use "zie" and "zir" -- I use "them" and "they" if for no other reason than I can keep them straight. And if it was good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for me.
My understanding was that "they" and "them" are considered grammatically-correct singular gender-neutral pronouns by many and acceptance is increasing over time due to the lack of an alternative.
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