From Society to the Screen: Navigating Non‐Binary Inclusion in the German‐Language Classroom

ABSTRACT Unlike English, which has broadly adopted the singular they and uses gender‐neutral nouns for people, German lacks widely used or officially accepted non‐binary nouns and pronouns. As a result, most German language teaching materials continue to reflect a cisnormative binary gender system. Research has demonstrated that limiting teaching materials to the binary options (er, sie) leads to misgendering and marginalizes non‐binary students. Language instructors, therefore, face the critical task of identifying inclusive linguistic forms (e.g., neopronouns, gender‐inclusive nouns) that allow all students to express their identities and be respectfully addressed by others. Drawing on usage‐based language acquisition theory, this paper outlines key challenges in developing authentic, gender‐inclusive instructional materials. We propose a socio‐pragmatic framework to support the meaningful integration of gender‐inclusive language (GIL) into the beginning communicative curriculum. Additionally, we show how recent programming from German public broadcasters offers valuable resources for engaging students in discussions of non‐binary identity and GIL use at intermediate and advanced levels.