An easy way to start changing our culture so that there is more room for people who don’t align with binary gender norms is by making it a habit to introduce yourself with your pronouns and ask other people theirs.
One of the more frequent and more painful things that often happens to trans and non-binary people is “misgendering.” Misgendering is when someone assumes someone else’s gender. Misgendering usually is signaled by the wrong choice of pronoun (he/she/they/another pronoun) and/or by using a gendered label for someone (lady, gentleman, mom, uncle, boy, girl). An easy way to start changing our culture so that there is more room for people who don’t align with binary gender norms is by making it a habit to introduce yourself with your pronouns and ask other people theirs: “Hi, my name is Kim and I use they/their/theirs pronouns. What is your name and pronouns?”
Recent studies have found that using the correct pronouns, especially for trans youth, can improve mental health outcomes and decrease risk of suicide.
In our more virtual landscape, there are many ways to normalize sharing your pronouns, such as:
- Add your pronouns to your name on Zoom calls. Here’s how to change your name on Zoom!
- Add your pronouns to your email signature. You can do this easily on Gmail, Mac Mail, and Outlook.
Did you know that October 17, 2018 was the first International Pronouns Day? They have a great website with a wide variety of resources and videos. Check out some of the videos and resources here: https://pronounsday.org/resources/ This video is one of our favorites from their site.
This is an old list (pronouns keep changing!) but you can find some gender-neutral pronouns here: https://forge-forward.org/wp-content/docs/gender-neutral-pronouns1.pdf
P.S. Every pronoun is welcome on #GivingTuesday, December 1.
#30DaysOfAction #TDOR #TDOR2020 #Trans #NonBinary #Pronouns #PronounsMatter #IAskEveryoneTheirPronouns #WhatsYourPronoun #Binary #He #She #Ze #They