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Preferred gender pronoun

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Four pin-on metal badges with labels "He Him", "She Her", "They Them", and "Ask Me!"
A set of four badges, which conference attenders might choose to wear.[1]

Preferred gender pronouns or personal gender pronouns (often abbreviated as PGP) refer to the set of pronouns (in English, third-person pronouns) that an individual wants others to use in order to reflect that person's gender identity. In English, when declaring one's chosen pronouns, a person will often state the subject and object pronouns—for example, "he/him", "she/her", or "they/them"—although sometimes, the possessive pronouns are also stated ("she/her/hers", "he/him/his", or "they/them/theirs"). The pronouns chosen may include neopronouns such as "ze" and "zir".

Rationale

PGPs have come into use as a way of promoting equity and inclusion for transgender and genderqueer people.[2][3] Their use has been identified by social workers,[4] educators,[5] and medical professionals[6][7][8] as both a practical and ethical consideration. Style guides and associations of journalists and health professionals advise use of the pronoun chosen or considered appropriate by the person in question.[9][10][11] When dealing with clients or patients, health practitioners are advised to take note of the pronouns used by the individuals themselves,[12] which may involve using different pronouns at different times.[13][14] This is also extended to the name chosen by the person concerned.[15][16] LGBTQ advocacy groups also advise using the pronouns and names chosen or considered appropriate by the person concerned.[17] They further recommend avoiding gender confusion when referring to the background of transgender people, such as using a title or rank to avoid a gendered pronoun or name.[18]

Cautions

The dean of women at Pomona College, Rachel N. Levin, advised against professors asking students to reveal their PGPs during class introductions, since this could upset those whom the PGP use is supposed to support. The two examples Levin gives include one student who has to confront not passing (in other words, that their gender presentation is not clear to people around them), and another student who does not know which pronouns to request others to use.[19]

The British LGBT charity Stonewall also advises caution on the grounds that for a variety of reasons some cisgender and transgender people may not feel comfortable with the practice; they say it should be encouraged but not mandated in email signatures and at meetings.[20] Stonewall co-founder Simon Fanshawe, who later split with the charity and went on to support the advocacy group LGB Alliance, has said that whilst some trans people consider that announcing preferred pronouns in a work setting is "inclusive" for them, the practice may be exclusive for someone who does not want to declare their gender identity or believes they do not have one.[21]

Terminology

There exists some disagreement on whether or not to refer to PGPs as "preferred". Some people omit the word "preferred", calling them "gender pronouns" or simply "pronouns" to emphasize that correct use of pronouns is a social obligation rather than an individual preference. There is concern that including "preferred" in the name may cause the perception that using an individual's PGPs is optional.[22] Levin states that "pronouns aren't 'preferred' but simply correct or incorrect for someone's identity."[19] Those who retain "preferred" point to a parallel with "preferred names" or as a way of affirming the individual's agency or right to choose their own pronouns.

Use

The practice of sharing personal gender pronouns has been done in the LGBT community for decades. It has become a common practice in social settings and on social media.[23] Social media websites including Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have added dedicated pronoun fields for their users' profile pages.[24]

The 2018 criminal trial of trans woman Tara Wolf provides an example of compelled use of a preferred pronoun.[25][26] Wolf was convicted of assaulting the radical feminist Maria MacLachlan.[27] During the trial, the judge instructed MacLachlan: "The defendant wished to be referred to as a woman, so perhaps you could refer to her as 'she' for the purpose of the proceedings."[27]

Organisational policies

Some organisations have introduced policies encouraging the specifying of PGPs, particularly in email signatures.[28] These include Workday,[29] Virgin Group,[30] TIAA,[29] the BBC,[31][32] IBM,[33] and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.[34]

Some companies change policies to encourage sharing of PGPs to be more attractive and inclusive to transgender and non-binary staff and customers.[30] The practice has become politicised given conflict on the relative importance of gender identity versus biological sex.[34]

In July 2021, the Scottish Government proposed its 8,000 civil servants should pledge to include their PGPs in their emails, but an internal poll revealed that more than half were unwilling to do so.[35][36] Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government Leslie Evans dismissed the poll results as "disappointing", while campaign group For Women Scotland described the government as "authoritarian".[35]

In August 2021, a letter signed by LGBT staff and student groups at University of Leeds and by Leeds University and College Union demanded an "effective and fit-for-purpose pronouns policy" and that senior staff include pronouns when introducing themselves, to show support for transgender people. The university responded that including pronouns was a choice for each individual.[37]

The February 2018 update of the Equal Treatment Bench Book, guidance to the United Kingdom judiciary from the Judicial College, said that "It is important to respect a person's gender identity by using appropriate terms of address, names and pronouns".[38]

The December 2021 update of the Equal Treatment Bench Book advised judges that the use of preferred gender pronouns is "common courtesy", a phrase said to be "watered down" compared to the 2018 update following criticism from think tank Policy Exchange.[39][40] The guidance warns of circumstances where the right of a witness to refer to a trans person via pronouns according to their gender assigned at birth may clash with the right to privacy of a trans person.[39] A victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence should be allowed to use pronouns according to gender assigned at birth "because that is in accordance with the victim’s experience and perception of the events".[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gender identity badges created by council". BBC News. 8 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  2. ^ Donatone, Brooke; Rachlin, Katherine (2013-07-01). "An Intake Template for Transgender, Transsexual, Genderqueer, Gender Nonconforming, and Gender Variant College Students Seeking Mental Health Services". Journal of College Student Psychotherapy. 27 (3): 200–211. doi:10.1080/87568225.2013.798221. ISSN 8756-8225. S2CID 144656582.
  3. ^ Riggs, Damien W.; Due, Clemence (2015-07-01). "Support Experiences and Attitudes of Australian Parents of Gender Variant Children". Journal of Child and Family Studies. 24 (7): 1999–2007. doi:10.1007/s10826-014-9999-z. ISSN 1573-2843. S2CID 143940351.
  4. ^ Markman, Erin R. (2011-10-01). "Gender Identity Disorder, the Gender Binary, and Transgender Oppression: Implications for Ethical Social Work". Smith College Studies in Social Work. 81 (4): 314–327. doi:10.1080/00377317.2011.616839. ISSN 0037-7317. S2CID 144961846.
  5. ^ Nishida, Akemi; Fine, Michelle (2014-01-02). "Creating Classrooms of and for Activism at the Intersections of Class, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Disability". Multicultural Perspectives. 16 (1): 8–11. doi:10.1080/15210960.2013.867237. ISSN 1521-0960. S2CID 143572253.
  6. ^ Deutsch, Madeline B.; Buchholz, David (2015-06-01). "Electronic Health Records and Transgender Patients—Practical Recommendations for the Collection of Gender Identity Data". Journal of General Internal Medicine. 30 (6): 843–847. doi:10.1007/s11606-014-3148-7. ISSN 1525-1497. PMC 4441683. PMID 25560316.
  7. ^ Cahill, Sean; Makadon, Harvey J. (2014-07-02). "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection Update: U.S. Government Takes Steps to Promote Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection Through Meaningful Use Guidelines". LGBT Health. 1 (3): 157–160. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2014.0033. ISSN 2325-8292. PMID 26789707.
  8. ^ Rosenthal, Stephen M.; Ehrensaft, Diane; Vance, Stanley R. (2014-12-01). "Psychological and Medical Care of Gender Nonconforming Youth". Pediatrics. 134 (6): 1184–1192. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-0772. ISSN 0031-4005. PMID 25404716. S2CID 5743822. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  9. ^ Division of Public Affairs (September 2011). "Style Guide" (PDF). Vanderbilt University. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2013-09-17. Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
  10. ^ "transgender". The Associated Press Stylebook 2015. Associated Press. 2015. ISBN 9780465097937. Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.
  11. ^ "Meeting the Health Care Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People: The End to LGBT Invisibility" (PowerPoint Presentation). The Fenway Institute. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-09-17. Use the pronoun that matches the person's gender identity
  12. ^ Elizondo, Paul M. III, D.O.; Wilkinson, Willy, M.P.H.; Daley, Christopher, M.D. (13 November 2015). "Working With Transgender Persons". Psychiatric Times. Archived from the original on 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2013-09-17. If you are not sure which pronoun to use, you can ask the patient
  13. ^ "Glossary of Gender and Transgender Terms" (PDF). Fenway Health. January 2010. pp. 2 and 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-13. listen to your clients – what terms do they use to describe themselves... Pronoun preference typically varies, including alternately using male or female pronouns using the pronoun that matches the gender presentation at that time.
  14. ^ "Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients" (PDF). Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling. 18 September 2009. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019. honor the set of pronouns that clients select and use them throughout the counseling process
  15. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions on Trans Identity" (PDF). Common Ground – Trans Etiquette. University of Richmond. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-09-17. Use the correct name and pronoun- Most names and pronouns are gendered. It's important to be considerate of one's gender identity by using the pronouns of the respective gender pronouns [sic] , or gender-‐neutral pronouns, they use
  16. ^ Glicksman, Eve (April 2013). "Transgender terminology: It's complicated". Vol 44, No. 4: American Psychological Association. p. 39. Archived from the original on 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-09-17. Use whatever name and gender pronoun the person prefers{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  17. ^ "Transgender FAQ". Resources. Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2013-09-17. should be identified with their preferred pronoun
  18. ^ "NAMES, PRONOUN USAGE & DESCRIPTIONS" (PDF). GLAAD Media Reference Guide. GLAAD. May 2010. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2013-09-17. It is usually best to report on transgender people's stories from the present day instead of narrating them from some point or multiple points in the past, thus avoiding confusion and potentially disrespectful use of incorrect pronouns.
  19. ^ a b "Why asking students their preferred pronoun is not a good idea (opinion)". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  20. ^ "International Pronouns Day". Stonewall. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020. Including pronouns in e-mail signatures should be encouraged, but not be made compulsory as not everyone may feel comfortable sharing their pronouns. There are many different reasons for this and it may be true for both cis and trans staff. (This should also be remembered when verbally introducing pronouns at the start of meetings.)
  21. ^ Ditum, Sarah (19 December 2021). "Stonewall founder Simon Fanshawe: shouting 'bigot' at each other won't end the trans rights war". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Gender Pronouns". Trans Student Educational Resources. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  23. ^ Adkins, Lenore T. (July 1, 2021). "Why do many Americans list pronouns on social media profiles?". Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  24. ^ Elks, Sonia (October 20, 2021). "Why social media sites are inviting people to share their pronouns". news.trust.org. Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  25. ^ Stock, Kathleen (2021). Material Girls. Fleet Publishing. p. 172. ISBN 978-0349726601. In recent years, there have been several notable cases of UK institutions compelling people to adopt the language of gender identity. [..] Another example was during the 2018 criminal trial of trans woman Tara Wolf, for the assault on a sixty-year-old radical feminist Maria MacLachlan.
  26. ^ Moss, Julie (21 June 2018). "INTERVIEW: Maria MacLachlan on the GRA and the aftermath of her assault at Speaker's Corner". Feminist Current. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  27. ^ a b Ward, Victoria (12 April 2018). "Radical feminist warned to refer to transgender defendant as a 'she' during assault case". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  28. ^ Burton, Lucy (10 November 2021). "Rise of the pronoun underlines the City's conversion to woke agenda". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  29. ^ a b MacLellan, Lila. "Those she/her/hers at the end of email messages are more than a passing trend". Quartz. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  30. ^ a b Stillman, Jessica (27 September 2019). "Virgin Just Added Gender Pronouns to Email Signatures. Should Your Company Do the Same?". Inc.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  31. ^ Moore, Matthew (10 July 2020). "BBC advises all staff to use trans‑friendly pronouns". The Times. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  32. ^ Somerville, Ewan (10 July 2020). "BBC asks staff to add gender pronoun on emails to support trans people". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  33. ^ Shropshire, Corilyn (31 July 2019). "He, she or they: How companies are starting to address calls for a gender-neutral workplace". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  34. ^ a b Bannerman, Lucy; Brown, Larisa (6 November 2021). "MoD tells staff to state name, rank and gender pronoun". The Times. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  35. ^ a b Sanderson, Daniel (26 July 2021). "Civil servants to be asked to include pronouns in email sign-offs". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  36. ^ Learmonth, Andrew (14 July 2021). "Majority of Scottish Government civil servants say they'll never add pronouns to their email signatures". Holyrood. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  37. ^ Wace, Charlotte (30 October 2021). "Leeds University students demand staff state their gender". The Times. Retrieved 30 October 2021. (Subscription required.)
  38. ^ Stock, Kathleen (2021). Material Girls. Fleet Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-0349726601.
  39. ^ a b c Quinn, Ben (27 December 2021). "Transgender people: judges advised to use preferred personal pronouns". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  40. ^ Hardy, Jack (26 December 2021). "Postmen are now postal operatives, judges told, under gender-neutral language makeover". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
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