Home Office staff are told to add their pronouns to work emails

I recently got emails with "she/her" below the signatures from a teacher and an administrator at my children's schools (2 different schools). The correspondents were called Hannah and Laura so I could have deduced they were either of the female sex or presenting as the female gender from their names. But I don't care what their sex or gender is as it is irrelevant - I was asking one for a reading list and booking an open day visit with the other. I had no reason to talk about them in the third person (and even now I am I can avoid gendered pronouns). I kind of want to call the schools to find out what their policies are and what they're teaching the kids. Is anyone else getting this from school contacts? I'd like to know of any previous experience people have with discussing this in a school setting.

Am fairly sure an employer compelling employees to disclose their pronouns is guilty of discrimination under the Equality Act. It's fairly well documented that bringing attention to the fact someone is female makes them more likely to face harassment.

Forcing someone to disclose their pronouns is also obviously extremely transphobic, if they're dysphoric but not ready to come out yet.

Indeed, RayonSunrise - not to mention their latest plans to send refugees to the paradise of Rwanda.

Adult/human/female

When I was a young 'un and starting out in my career, I was specifically advised not to make an issue of my gender as many employers automatically, whether by design or by unconscious bias, tended to screen women out of positions in my chosen industry. To this day, I never prefix my name with Ms when it comes to work related issues as it bears no relevance to my competency and has never been an issue. For years I have worked hard to be judged on the quality of my work rather than my reproductive organs. If I were a civil servant I would be very aggrieved at being pushed back into the arena of being judged because of my sex.

The Home Office obviously missed the pronouns/Rohypnol memo then...

Mine are Just No

I find the pronouns LinkedIn so distracting that I avoid using it.

At least with LinkedIn I refused to use the feature.

Can I choose my own adjectives and compel everyone to use them when referring to me?

Bordois
(Phenomenal/underpaid)

The ludicrous argument by a certain TRA whose surname is a garment you wear when it’s cold:

“It's not compulsory and does NOT breach equalities law. Even if it was compulsory, if it can be objectively justified it would be unlikely to be unlawful.”

First, what objective justification could there be for forcing someone who doesn’t want to show support for a philosophical position to do so? Second, surely compelled speech is always unlawful. Third, is this really an argument that this form of discrimination might be objectively justified, coming from someone who believes a rape shelter for women should be forced to admit males?

I honestly think the only way to stop this is for every person to put the opposite pronouns to stop the special ones feeling so special and make people realise how ridiculous it is.

It's always the fault of the IT dept .

They generally do what they are told. They don't own the data.

They won't enforce this in your email signature unless they are instructed to do so and it won't be some 'pencil neck' in IT who decides what pronoun to use for you.

Still pretty shit what HO is doing but lots of misunderstanding about the role of IT.

Not happened in my work yet (also CS) thankfully, but i have my response prepared just in case. There has been more talk about inclusion of late, including LGBT+ so I'm wondering if it will end up being suggested.

My sex is not relevant to my ability to do my job, and conscious and subconscious bias against women persists. Therefore I will not be advertising my sex, thanks very much.

Hello, my name is Luna, my pronouns are she/they and I will be overseeing your transportation to Rwanda.

If adding pronouns is demanded and not suggested, then those making this policy are assigning no weight to the possible stereotype threat effects of forcing every female employee (who accepts being seen as female) to double-remind everyone of their sex (if their name is clearly female, too) or to inform the recipient about their sex (if their name leaves that unclear).

I am not sure how large that would be in this context, but it has been shown to affect girls when taking tests in topics where the general society sometimes tells them that their sex might be a handicap. Like physics or mathematics.

But it's also another sign of us going backwards from the idea that it's the individual who should matter in most work- and school-related situations and not what sex or gender group that person belongs to. Gender essentialism.

I disagree with the government’s Rwanda decision, it’s dreadful, but I do think they need to get a grip on the CS.

Civil servant soon to be ex thank god we had a memo to say female sanitary products wd be put into mens loos I said what a waste of money I got reported for being transphobic I said are you mad it’s a sin was my life in the 80s my friends wire more slap than boots counter and higher heels than any woman there was never any bullshit about gender nonsense they were gay men end of - bullshit wokery

It's not clear from that story if it's suggested, or expected.
If the first - fair enough. Some people might want to.
If the second - not good.

I'm sure that learning the pronouns of home office civil servants is a top priority for asylum seekers who have finally reached the UK.

It will make their journey to Rwanda so much better.

Didn't the Home Office also change all the loos to mixed sex then had to change them back as everyone was going elsewhere for a comfort break and nobody would use them? Staff were going to other buildings, I think.

When will they ever learn?

The MoJ does not (yet) require pronouns in signatures. I would go fucking BALLISTIC if some pencil-neck in IT took it upon themselves to choose them for me!

My pronouns are pish/tush.