As the world becomes more cognizant of gender identity and fluidity, so, too, must our copy. Traditional grammar rules lay out subject-verb agreement, but what happens when you’re referring to someone who uses they/them/their as a pronoun?
According to AP Style:
“They, them, their — In most cases, a plural pronoun should agree in number with the antecedent: The children love the books their uncle gave them. They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and/or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy. However, rewording usually is possible and always is preferable. Clarity is a top priority; gender-neutral use of a singular they is unfamiliar to many readers. We do not use other gender-neutral pronouns such as xe or ze…”