The English language is constantly in flux and always has been. For the last few hundred years, there were no really strong needs for gender neutral pronouns to describe people in the language. It was acceptable that “man” could be used to represent either gender. “Mankind” could be used to represent all people. He, him and his were assumed to be the best acceptable gender neutral pronoun. Times are changing. People find it presumptuous of men to be considered the neutral standard of all humankind.
People are naturally switching to “they” “them” and “their” on their own. This is almost always how language evolves. Some expert doesn’t come down from the sky and invents a new word or new definition of an old word. People just make it up as they go along. If enough people follow, sooner or later the older definition of the word will “officially” change and be acceptable—even by academic society.
I welcome the “they” pronound. I can’t wait until the day it’s officially the proper gender neutral way to address an unidentified person or group of people.
People are trying to invent gender neutral pronouns right now, and I think it’s ridiculous. “They” is already in the language. People are using it without thinking. It is easy to remember and feels natural to use. This hideous nightmare of a list is just ridiculous. It’s huge and unwieldy. Most of the words feel artificial and unnatural. They force you to remember a bunch of made up on the spot rules in order to use them correctly.
It also goes against the way the English language develops. Generally, people don’t invent a word and command people to start using it. A new idea or concept with no name comes into existence and people start making up their own words to describe it. After a while, the most popular word or words catch on and the other ones fade away. After the word is established, it may finally one day be put in the dictionary as an “official” acceptable new word or new definition of an old word.
The English language never really had official correct words and correct spelling until someone bothered to write a dictionary. Grammar rules varied widely as well. People don’t learn their first language from reading a dictionary and a grammar book. They learn by what people are saying around them. This is the way it’s always been ever since humans started using language to communicate. In modern times, there are “rights” and “wrongs” in grammar, but those change as the language changes organically.
In short, people switching to “they” is not a terrible crime against the English language. It’s just people changing the language to reflect the changing environment they live in. It’s always been happening and it will continue to happen centuries after nobody gives a second thought about using the “they” pronoun to describe a singular person with indeterminate gender.