A note on gender: In some school populations, the character’s name is enough to assume the person’s gender. If it is named Bill, it is a boy, and if it is named Sally, it is a girl. However, the national culture is changing rapidly in regards to gender identity and expression. Therefore, in many school populations, it is not recommended to assume the character’s gender based on its name. Nor is it advisable in many school populations to assume only binary genders. In Tina’s district, in Portland, Oregon, she feels very comfortable asking what is the gender of the character and expects to hear many times that the character is gender-fluid or non-binary. These topics are very much on her middle school students’ minds and her district has an explicit Equity Policy encouraging an inclusive learning environment for students of all gender identities and expressions. You will need to think about your school and community standards when deciding how to inquire about the character’s gender. But no longer do the authors want to ask, “Is this a boy or a girl?” We now tend to ask, when we remember and do not slip back into our old ways, “What is the gender of this person?”
