to not want to sign off my emails with preferred pronouns?

[AlphaBites]

We've had an email do the rounds today at work saying in the next few weeks all staff are expected to sign off with their preferred pronouns, to save any embarrassment for any staff.

I don't want to.

Can I fight this somehow?

I don't care so long as I know so yes at work I think they should pass a bloody law saying get over yourself and sign off name followed by your pronoun like TooOld Care (Ms.)

You seem to be a bit confused here: ‘Ms’
is not a pronoun.

Sheesh, @RosesAndRaindrops, I was just giving an example. It would cut both ways because, despite resenting being told what I should call myself, and refusing to get with the program, I am not a 'cunt'

Apologies then if you would refer to transwomen as she/her as well as a lot of people on here say they won't.
Misunderstanding and all that then

And by letting someone tell me what I should call myself, when I'm already using a perfectly comprehensible term, I would lose a degree of my freedom and autonomy.
How is stating you're she/her when you actually are losing a degree of freedom and autonomy though?
I am she and her. So saying I am doesn't lose me any freedom.

'I don't like what you women are saying therefore I share no commonality with you.

We're talking about biology here, so unless your cis-women tribe has suddenly sprouted antennae and a tail I'm guessing you share quite a lot in common with the other women on this thread.

You've avoided my question and went off on a tangent. I suspect because you can't answer it. I'll repeat. As you insist that Transwomen are women, name one characteristic that women and transwomen share in common that are not shared with men. Simple question. Or would you rather resort to abuse?

I think she would. Dictating to others how they speak, think and the belief systems they should sign up to seems to be very important to her, as it is to so many people who are attracted to this ideology.
I think that’s the key. It gives you the ability to push others around while claiming to be nice and caring. Creepy, really.

so, if I'm not cis (since gender is a big pile of steaming bollocks, and I don't believe in it, my sex and lack of gender don't match), when is everyone going to rush round and make the world a nicer place for me? I'd like no penises in my toilets please, no males in womens sports, and no DIAFing going on on Twitter. Thanks, I expect that will all be sorted by Monday, otherwise I may be forced to have a tantrum.

People saying 'who cares?' or 'it takes two seconds to make someone's life easier' are totally missing the point.

The people campaigning for stating pronouns believe pronouns should be based on gender identity. The tactic is to make out that pronouns have always been based on gender. And to enforce conformity and change of language until it becomes so commonplace that everyone accepts this. I disagree. I believe pronouns are based on sex. My belief matters just as much to me as a woman (ie correct pronoun use in crime reporting means that male violence can be properly identified) as gender identity means to the people who believe in that.

It's fine to have different beliefs about the origin of language and its social purpose. People who believe in gender identity are welcome to state their pronouns in pursuit of their belief. I won't state mine, because it involves accepting a premise, that pronouns are gender based, which I don't accept. If they are sex based then they are obvious, so don't need to be stated.

The making people's lives easier part is recognising that people who state their pronouns are believers in gender, and treating them with the same respect we would anyone else who has a belief we disagree with. It should never amount to forced participation in their belief system.

Because the purpose of this isn't 'preventing embarrassment if an individual has the wrong pronoun used for them,' otherwise the choice to state your own pronoun if you wish to would be sufficient. The purpose is 'everyone accepting that that pronouns are gender based, to avoid further disagreement or discussion from non believers.'

our gender and assigned sex...

Sex is not assigned. It is determined at conception and then observed and recorded at birth or earlier.

This is a fact and not an opinion.

Antecedent "men who are pregnant"... er, where did you study midwifery? I would have thought that the fact it is women who get pregnant would be on the first page of the 'instruction manual'!

Antecedent "men who are pregnant"... er, where did you study midwifery? I would have thought that the fact it is women who get pregnant would be on the first page of the 'instruction manual'!

Not antecedent, but thought I'd answer - I'm sure @antecedent meant men who are pregnant as in transmen.
We all know biological males can't be pregnant, transmen can be though.

I am not being facetious and I am new to this... but trans men pregnant? Surely not! I mean, what is the point of ceasing living as a woman if then you do one of the most womanly actions I can think of?

I don't mean to offend anyone - going to read up on this.

When every single piece of legislation does not misgender women anymore, then I will consider adhering to this pronoun wankfest. As long as that is not the case, they/she/he/it can go to hell.

When every single piece of legislation does not misgender women anymore

I'm confused, can you explain? (Genuinely am)
How is legislation misgendering me as a a woman? I'm not sure what you're getting at there.

Legislation commonly uses male pronouns to refer also to women. Why is that not misgendering? Funnily enough, nobody cared about that. But now using the wrong pronoun to talk about somebody is actual violence. Courtesy has nothing to do with it. The only pronoun to address somebody directly is you, which is genderless. I will not be forced to use a female pronoun to talk about a rapist. A rapist is male by definition. And talking about somebody, one can use the name. No need to use pronoun. For possessive pronoun, their is acceptable for singular too. Anything else is Orwellian.

"There is no debate about whether a trans woman is a woman or whatever. None whatsoever."

🤣🤣🤣

You do understand that biological science doesn't work like that, don't you?
Come to that, neither do Internet forums.

I hate to break it to you but a person who was born with a penis is not a woman.

I hate to break it to you but a person who was born with a penis is not a woman
Yes, not biologically, they're a transwoman though

Woman means female, in law, in science and in common language. Transwomen are not female. Indeed, there is no debate. They are not women because they are not female.

It should be optional. Not everyone wants to declare their gender identity at work. A good friend of mine was made very uncomfortable by a similar policy.

"I hate to break it to you but a person who was born with a penis is not a woman"

"Yes, not biologically, they're a transwoman though"

No. The word for an adult person who was born with a penis is the same as it has been for centuries. "Man".

There is only one kind of woman. There are no sub-sects.

I was reading an interesting article about space exploration the other day. To colonise farflung planets it would be far easier to use only female astronauts. They are generally smaller, so using less resources per person, fuel etc. They are just as capable as men at all the technical skills needed to establish colonies. Most importantly, each has a lifetime supply of eggs. All they would need to populate the new planets would be a modest supply of frozen sperm. Good eh?

How is stating you're she/her when you actually are losing a degree of freedom and autonomy though?

It loses me the freedom not to be identified as a woman if I don't wish to be. In some circumstances I'm happy for people to assume that I am a man and show me the respect they normally reserve for men.

Declaring pronouns would also imply that I'm a believer in gender ideology when I'm not. So it denies me the freedom to be a gender atheist.

I agree it seems strange that it would be mandatory.

I think the idea is for solidarity with trans and non-binary people, so if more people start to include pronouns then it becomes the norm.

Maybe we don't want or care for it to be the norm?