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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Pronouns in my email signature

213 replies

GinTonic · 08/02/2020 08:35

I've been asked to state my personal pronouns in my work email signature. Grateful for any advice on how to deal with this? It's being presented as optional but I feel it's discriminatory as it's putting me under pressure to reveal my personal views on subjects which up to now I have not shared in the workplace. Thanks all.

OP posts:
HandsOffMyLangCleg · 08/02/2020 09:02

There's also gendered bias. Explain that as a female this would be detrimental to you.

www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/12/17/here-is-how-unconscious-bias-holds-women-back/

Cwenthryth · 08/02/2020 09:01

I'm not sure how it means you revealing your personal views, because by giving your pronouns you haven't commented on anyone else's.
By giving your pronouns, you are instructing others how to refer to you in the third person (ie when you’re not there) - many of us consider this to be compelled speech and object to the concept itself. I don’t believe it is my place to instruct you on what pronouns to use about me. So I literally cannot put ‘my pronouns’ in an email signature, I don’t consider them to be ‘mine’ to control. So by an employer forcing employees to do this, they absolutely are forcing us to reveal our personal beliefs.

If Maya wins her appeal then there will be established grounds that our beliefs should be protected under the equality act, which will make declining this more straightforward.

Bananabixfloof · 08/02/2020 08:58

Pronouns: Sex-based, like my oppression

If you dare
I did, I dont know if anyone has actually noticed yet, but it's there.

I have never seen this. Or occasion for this
Coming soon to your neck of the woods. Seriously it's on virtually every Twitter handle, in a lot of NHS emails, all over theatre emails and on and on.

GinTonic · 08/02/2020 08:57

Thanks I don't want to give too many details but concerned that ignoring the request could be seen as unsupportive of certain other colleagues.

@Bezalelle I do like your suggestion.

OP posts:
RitaTheBeater · 08/02/2020 08:54

You are missing something Soon. Companies (some) have started asking their employees to say if they want to be referred to as he or she or they in emails. So ‘Lucy is going to report back on his findings next week’. So every email you write you have to write at a snails pace so you can ensure you are using the correct pronouns for every person.

And if the OP doesn’t want to put her preferred pronouns on her email it may reveal her personal opinion that it is all a load of bollocks.

ScrimshawTheSecond · 08/02/2020 08:53

I've been asked for my pronouns. I just ignored the question- nothing happened.

Xanthangum · 08/02/2020 08:51

I'm not sure how it means you revealing your personal views, because by giving your pronouns you haven't commented on anyone else's.

People who acquiesce are either on the pronoun bandwagon, or haven't given it much thought.

People who refuse, assuming the pronoun request is mandatory, are outing themselves as holding GC views.

bellinisurge · 08/02/2020 08:51

I have never seen this. Or occasion for this. And I have email communications with people across the public sector every single working day.
I'm old and, at most, we had to do Miss or Mrs in the very very olden days when I worked in the private sector.
This sounds very odd.
What instructions have you had to do this and from whom?

Bezalelle · 08/02/2020 08:51

Pronouns: Sex-based, like my oppression

(If you dare!)

SayNoToCarrots · 08/02/2020 08:45

I'm not sure how it means you revealing your personal views, because by giving your pronouns you haven't commented on anyone else's.

Also, in what context has anyone ever sent an email to someone else and used any pronoun other than 'you'?

Soontobe60 · 08/02/2020 08:42

Surely your email signature just has your name and contact details? If anyone is responding to an email to you, they wouldn't use pronouns would they? When I send emails I use you or your. Am I missing something?

Nappyvalley15 · 08/02/2020 08:40

Do you need to give a reason? Can you just say no? Or just not do it?

Cwenthryth · 08/02/2020 08:40

Just straightforwardly decline, say you do not feel comfortable to do so, perhaps ‘it is a difficult/sensitive issue for me personally’, and do not engage any further on it. Put it in writing to your manager. If they push you further after that it is downright bullying.

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