X: A Fabulous Child's Story Lesson Plan

The narrator uses the pronoun "it" to describe Baby X without gender. What is the effect of that pronoun? What would be a better pronoun? What does the use of "it" reveal about the nature of pronouns?

Students' responses will vary according to the effect, but most will note the way "it" denotes a thing instead of a person. This may have the effect of reducing X into an object who is talked about rather than a person with the same desires and agency that any person has. However, some might point out that the problem is the lack of a gender-neutral pronoun in English, rather than any feelings about X.

The title of the story is "X: A Fabulous Child's Story." Does the...