The following comes from a November 10 SDSU Daily Aztec article by Maria Del Carmen Huerta:

San Diego State will not recognize a homecoming king or queen this year. Instead, the honorees will be referred to as “royals,” a gender-neutral term.

During the application process, candidates were allowed to select gender-neutral pronouns to identify themselves.

These gender-inclusive pronouns aim to dispel the common gender binary of categorizing people as solely masculine or feminine.

Gender neutrality in the homecoming application is a step in the right direction, SDSU Women’s Resource Center Coordinator Jessica Nare said.

“We are lucky to be on a campus that is really diverse, and so I think having systems in place that reflect the students on campus is a really positive thing,” Nare said. “The reality is we don’t live in a gender-binary system and so really recognizing that in a public way is really important and exciting.”

She said the gender-neutral option is another step toward creating safe and brave spaces on campus where everyone will feel welcome.

This progressive shift can be seen on other campuses across the nation, including Harvard University and University of Vermont, where gender-neutral pronouns are offered in the general admission process.