Generally, I would introduce the character using their preferred pronouns instead of using gendered terms unless you wish to make a commentary on gender perception. However, if this is not the focus of the work, I would say keep it neutral to the character

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Or should I use they/them even if my characters never met this person and is unaware that’s their pronoun of choice? I don’t want to make them being nonbinary their entire personality and I feel that would make it seem like it is.

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^^For some reference, this person isn’t really a main character, but does appear several times throughout the story. They are based on an old friend of mine, as I often write characters based on the people in my life. I’ve wanted to include this character because I’m close with the person they’re based on for a while, but I’ve been too scared of writing a nonbinary character disrespectfully as I myself am cisgender. Any advice?

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