Celebrating International Pronouns Day

Today on October 19, we celebrate International Pronouns Day to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.

In fact, it is becoming more common for professionals to display their pronouns online and at work, and you don't have to be LGBTQ+ to do so. International Pronouns Day began in 2018 and now takes place on the 3rd Wednesday of October each year, encouraging colleges, schools, workplaces, and local organizations to hold educational and empowering events about personal pronouns.

So what are personal pronouns and why do they matter? Pronouns have a gender implied, such as “he” to refer to a man/boy or “she” to refer to a woman/girl. Often, people make assumptions about the gender of another person based on the person’s appearance or name. These assumptions aren’t always correct, and implies that people have to look a certain way to demonstrate the gender that they are or are not.

Using correct pronouns for others is key to being an LGBTQ+ ally. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming people. Taking time for the sharing of pronouns in person and online is a great way to show support for those who do not have the privilege of assumption.

A great way to create and normalise space for people to share their pronouns is first to share your own. If you are unsure which pronoun a person prefers, you can start with your own. For example, "Hi, I'm Sophie, and I use the pronouns she/her. What about you?"

If you are attending an event, you can write your pronouns on your nametag. Or you can add your pronouns to your display name on apps and software where it’s already available, like Zoom.

Here are some other activities to help create more awareness around pronouns in your organization:

· Post your own pronouns on social media.

· Hold an event where sharing pronouns during introductions is normalized. This could be as small as just making sure pronouns are a topic during a staff or team meeting on that day. Be prepared to answer questions.

· Have name tags that include a place for pronouns.

· Run a workshop on how to share and ask about pronouns, and how to recover from mistakes. Consider bringing in an expert. Consider watching videos about trans issues and pronouns if you aren't prepared to run a whole workshop.

· Run a workshop on the ways gender/pronouns show up in a variety of languages, and how trans/nonbinary folks are making progress in a variety of linguistic practices.

· Create a poster campaign on your campus or at your workplace, with educational messages.

· Think about having many different distribution points for materials (e.g. buttons, stickers, informational cards).

· Encourage your campus or organization to make pronouns an optional field in student/personnel records.

· Put your pronouns on your business cards and email signatures, and encourage others to do the same by making it easy for them. For example, have a drop-down/fill-in option when requesting business cards.

· Put your pronouns on name badges (both temporary ones for events/conferences, and permanent name badges used for work).

· Make materials and organize activities that educate about pronouns something that’s ongoing, not just for International Pronouns Day.

· Finally, organize best practices for trans inclusion on your campus or at your workplace.

For more information on pronouns, check out myGwork's Guide to Pronoun Etiquette here.