To shriek from the rooftops that there is No Such Thing as “preferred pronouns”?

She didn’t need it.

No one has to use she / her or ‘preferred pronouns’. It’s up to the person speaking which pronoun they use.

'Shrieking' is literally in the thread title...

I don’t think the op is ‘shrieking’. And there’s no compulsion for anyone to use preferred pronouns anyway.

Do you object to preferred names too (eg Liz, Lizzie, Betty instead of Elizabeth) and insist on calling individuals by their full given names? How about titles? Are married and unmarried women alike ‘entitled’ to use Ms in your world, or do you insist on Miss or Mrs? Language evolves to describe an ever changing world: you don’t seem able to do the same!

Yes, I agree with you. If you are a woman, you are a she. If you are a man, you are a he.
And that is it. Full stop.

Pointing out when what you're claiming is factually wrong is a "gotcha" now? Wow.

In other news, Miss, Ms and Mrs remain nouns that people prefer to use.

I agree with you OP. If we are empowering people to spout nonsense and then actively joining them (like putting pronouns in work emails...) we are just adding to fantasy.
It's very emperors clothes. We ALL have to join in or it does't work and the man is a frock (or naked like the emperor) looks silly.

Hmm well you didn't specify common noun.

As an aside, I've brushed up on my primary 4 grammar today!

Goodness me. Well, that's certainly a lot of words you've shared there.

I asked what that meant (while my DH was shaking his head and "shhhh-ing me".

Sounds like your husband is fed up of your behaviour. I go by someone’s ability or qualifications, I don’t use my own prejudices to get in the way of being professional. I’d think it’s a bit silly, but that’s it.

But again, those are all instances around referring to their own group... You never get a group of disabled people campaigning about how they want to refer to non-disabled, or POC deciding how they want to call white people.

That's why this is a bit of a weird one. I think many GC people are perfectly happy to use certain pronouns for trans people, if they've made it very clear what they want, as we're not dicks and we will be respectful as they're people who deserve to live a peaceful life.

However, it's the extension into 'and you all must also share these desires and prioritise this small thing' that causes the irritation.

(I disagree with the OP by the way despite being GC, I just think the language point comes up again and again and is not quite as set in stone).

Of course they do. People who prefer to go by the name Jim over their christened name James. Binmen who prefer to be called refuse collectors. People who have a preference over whether they are described as a person with autism or an autistic person. People who have a preference over whether they are referred to as mixed-race, bi-racial, mixed heritage etc. There are lots of situations where people may have a preference regarding the language they and others use to describe them.

We had a tel call with a financial advisor last week. I asked to see her CV and she directed me to Linkedin. It said "she / her". I asked what that meant (while my DH was shaking his head and "shhhh-ing me". She couldn't answer.

Little does she know she has lost our business because of that utter stupidity. This is a woman in her late 40s.

There’s plenty of instances where certain groups ask for certain language to be used and it is then adopted into the mainstream and becomes the norm. POC is an example, various terms around disability, certain words are taboo etc. So yes it does often evolve at the insistence of others.

People can all themselves whatever they like and express any preference they like. If you’re talking about enforced use of pronouns that don’t match the person’s sex, that’s a different argument.

Very rarely does language evolve at the insistence of others though. Language evolves when everyone collectively decides to start using new words, organically. If something naturally becomes assimilated into the language, that happens gradually (like the use of 'like', or bear, or long).

You never usually get people insisting that you start saying the latest teen lingo and everyone must capitulate or else they're wrong.

Sometimes you might listen to a group of people who want to change how they themselves are being referred to, e.g. 'please refer to us as 'people of colour' rather than xyz' and that's fine. However if they extended it and said 'please refer to us as people of colour and YOU must be called xyz' that would not be okay, and would not fly.

Saying 'language evolves' is not the same as 'I want you to use this language and therefore you must'.

I'm not the one who is mixed up, OP. I said a name is a proper noun, not a pronoun. You said preferred nouns don't exist. You agree that preferred names exist. Ergo, you are wrong.

So you wouldn’t mind being called he? Or referred to as a bloke?

I’m sick of people being so blatantly ignorant towards others and especially the transgender community, but maybe you’re the type of guy who agrees with Starmer.

What are Miss, Ms, Mrs etc if not preferred nouns used to refer to someone?

So you wouldn’t mind at all if someone used they/them to refer to you? Because I’ve seen people make this argument and then they get enraged if someone says they/them because it turns out they do actually want them to say she/her.
And how does a name “belong” to you more so than pronouns? You can’t actually force someone to use your correct name but you can ask them to. If they don’t, it’s rude. Same with pronouns.

I agree, but if someone asked me to call them 'they' or 'ze' etc as a pronoun. I'd keep quiet as know that their request to make me use words that don't make sense, trumps my knowledge of the truth. I would try to keep away from conversations with and directly about them. I'd use nodding and body language to get by.
Some of the responses on this thread about protecting feelings highlight the issue: The 'be kind', rather than 'be real' discussion continues.