Business professionals and landlords working in New York City are now legally required to use whatever gender pronouns their customers and tenants prefer, regardless of that person’s biological sex, The Washington Post reports.
If these professionals refuse to use gender-neutral pronouns such as “ze” and “hir”, or do not call a tenant by their preferred gender pronouns, they can be fined $25,000, according to the city’s Commission on Human Rights.
The city also contends that refusing to use a certain gender pronoun may be considered harassment. The Posts note that because some individuals consider themselves “gender-fluid” and may change their preferred pronouns frequently, employers could violate this law simply out of confusion.
It’s possible that some individuals may want to be called by new or made-up pronouns, which could make the situation complicated from a legal standpoint.