feeling scared

Thanks all. Small steps. Will let you know if there is a reaction.

Thanks Badger. And well done, that's great news!

madeastart well done. Hopefully, you made that woman think and made the others in the meeting think too. People often spout all this gender stuff without actually thinking what it means.

Wow! Well done madeastart. You just know that you will have given other women courage. Keep us posted.

Well done OP. I too said something during a meeting with an earnest woke young woman this week. She was saying how she had run workshops on showing solidarity to trans people and how she recommends everyone put their pronouns in emails. I interrupted and said I disagreed with this as I didn't believe in the concept of gender and for others this could force people to declare something they are not comfortable with. She looked shocked - probably the first time anyone had pushed back on this. We will see what happens next, but it is thanks to this board that I had the courage to take a tiny step in this direction. I also bang on about equality impact assessments and the importance of not focusing on just one protected characteristic. ✊

Well done, OP. It’s a step in the right direction. Now all you have to do is drop it into conversation with some of your more trusted and sensible workmates, how glad you are that this is voluntary, as you feel that it would be awful if people felt they had to ‘out’ themselves, before they’re ready. Of course the rest is just waffle, but you want to let them know it’s completely voluntary, in case they think it’s compulsory too.

NRatched, that’s hilarious. 🤣

Good on you. Also glad to hear its voluntary instead of forced. How it should be really, if someone wants to make a fuss of pronouns, thats up to them/zir/him/her.

My dads workplace tried this a few months back. Not particularly 'woke', so no idea why, also my dad was mystified by why his boss didn't just bring it up in conversation if he felt it was important, instead of sending an email round stating everyne must now use pronouns to sign off. What they ended up with was a load of internal emails (apparently noone added these to external ones, so the company was not ridiculed, was an inside thing) ending in 'his majesty/majestic', 'banana/bananaself' 'God/His holiness' and such which I am sure was not the intended response. It was quietly ditched apparently. I genuinely laughed when he told me about this, with a really confused face on and asked if I knew anything about the subject I think they might have just been follwing the 'trend', but yeah, didn't go as planned at all. Wasn't even mentioned on the company newsletter either, so I am guessing the boss just wishes it totally swept under the rug. And no, I won't out them, as the boss is actually one of my dads mate and apparently the whole lot of them are basically friends so 'going public' with this could affect the business, in todays climate, which is a sad situation in itself really. Having such 'pronounphobic'/'people left with a sense of humour in the workplace' people working there could attract TRAs, which noone bloody wants!

We don’t have a policy on this but I’ve noticed the youngest women at work doing it voluntarily. I think it’s madness to underline your sex in work situations when there is already so much sex discrimination.

I hear you OP. I'm a one-time victim of rape who endured months of sexual harassment in my workplace. It ended up triggering cPTSD and making me very ill for a while.

The hell am I going to call attention to my sex, 'gender' or pronouns in my workplace even if I hadn't been through that (and it's coming, I can see it from a mile away). It was that workplace, up to its nuts in allies, that exposed me to this treatment in the first place.

I choose my battles carefully but this is a hill I will die on. My response won't be as open as the one I've written here; it will simply be 'no, because I don't choose to'. If pressed further I might say that it's triggering for me, but no more than that.

Can't you just predict the response? I'd be told what women hear ad nauseum: our feelings don't matter and we should sacrifice our own discomfort for the sake of others. If I gave a reason that's as honest as the one posted above - and why the hell should I? - I'd be 'weaponising my trauma'.

Because words are 'literal violence' and rape apparently isn't. Fuck that noise. I'll resist this shit to the hilt and I applaud others for doing so as I know just how hard this is. Kudos, OP. And thank you.

Three cheers for you, Badger! As so many PPs have said, courage calls to courage.

Courage calls to courage Badger.

Well done OP, that took a lot of courage.

I'm not she/her cos I want to be

I'm she/her (not that I sign off with pronouns!) because I was born female, and I am a woman. Basic biological fact.

I think I'd say that it's unfair to out people. That people's sexuality is their own business and that it's intrusive to ask people to tell complete strangers as well as colleagues how they identify.
Yes this. Plus even if people don't add pronouns, if there is pressure to do so they are revealing they struggle with gender identity.
I HATE pronoun sign offs. I'm not she/her cos I want to be. I'm she/her because of how others see me and the way the English language works

You are bloody awesome. Have you had any muttering from the woke?

Thanks Deliciously. Apparently the survey was copied from the NHS and they'll feed back.

I've got form for making complaints on training - I challenged sexist pages on an online leadership course and got them changed.

What was the outcome, Cocothefirst? Well done btw.

Well done OP.

I challenged my workplace for omitting sex and gender reassignment as protected characteristics in a survey, and replacing them with gender. I was terrified.

When I have the energy I'll do the 'diversity' training (which was prepared by Stonewall...) and do the same.

Well done, Badger!

Wish there were more like you at Westminster.

Well done OP - making these challenges can be extremely stressful and in some circumstances, very brave indeed!!

I have objected today to the creation of some kind of purity pledge workplace statement on a similar matter to you. In the process I have connected with a colleague who also objects (to, as he puts it, purity politics and biology-denying genderwoowoo) and it's been quite glorious! I guarantee you there are others in your workplace who feel the same way as you do. Not only are you doing a great deed for them, but you may also be able to connect with them through what you've done.

I think I'd say that it's unfair to out people. That people's sexuality is their own business and that it's intrusive to ask people to tell complete strangers as well as colleagues how they identify. Some might not be ready to reveal this.

I think the pronoun thing is virtue-signalling to an extreme and completely mad level, but if I were trans or struggling with my identity I wouldn't have wanted anyone in my workplace to know a thing about it.

Well done Badger!