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’m sure the women using professional titles don’t need to whisper about it. I’ve even met some in real life - not just ‘on the telly’ as you suggest.

As misgendering is punished more widely as a hate crime, staying informed of people's preferred pronouns will be useful for keeping you out of trouble for not saying the word you have to.

So people letting you know this information are potentially doing you a favour, however unnecessary it might seem now. Remember unintentional misgendering is still misgendering.

Surely if someone cares enough about what pronoun is used to be offended by it, they can take it upon themselves to inform people of heir preference in whatever manner they feel is appropriate?

Why do we need to know during regular business transactions whether someone identifies as male, female or anything else? If I get an email from Chris/Alex/Sam about the carpets I wish to purchase, or the cake that I’ve ordered, or the water bill I’ve disputed, what does it matter how they identify themselves? I’m only interested in the quality and price of the carpet, how good a baker they are or whether they can correct my water bill.

When did we all start getting so offended by things that aren’t meant to offend? If Barbara is bothered about being addressed as “she” instead of (preferred by Barbara) “he” then why not change your name? They are after all just administrative labels given to us as children to ease record-keeping.

I'd just make up a load of stupid shit for a laugh. It would be difficult to resist the temptation. And I'd stick with it and insist that I'm being serious, even if it went to a disciplinary. If they're opening that door then they can't really say no, can they? How do they know what you identify as? It's all intangible meaningless noise anyway, you can't prove a feeling.

There's probably a good reason why I went into contract work rather than hanging around in any permanent positions... I don't play well with others.

The professional titles you have listed are not all male dominated..?

In the UK there are overwhelmingly more female than male doctors. It's been that way for quite some time. Now I live in Australia and it's the same here. The hospital my husband works at is mostly female doctors.

How ironic that you have just incorrectly assumed that medicine and surgery are male dominated fields. Please check this stuff in future.

As misgendering is punished more widely as a hate crime, staying informed of people's preferred pronouns will be useful for keeping you out of trouble for not saying the word you have to.

So people letting you know this information are potentially doing you a favour, however unnecessary it might seem now. Remember unintentional misgendering is still misgendering.

Gee, I wonder why so many people feel resistant to this sort of thing?

As a woman with a traditionally male name, I've dealt all my life with people who hadn't yet met me assuming I would be male. Somehow I've survived. If someone goes by a traditionally female name, I'm sure others will assume they are female. It really doesn't seem that complicated.

“As misgendering is punished more widely as a hate crime, staying informed of people's preferred pronouns will be useful for keeping you out of trouble for not saying the word you have to.

So people letting you know this information are potentially doing you a favour, however unnecessary it might seem now. Remember unintentional misgendering is still misgendering.”

Thank you: you have helped me unpick why it is that I feel the rise of resistance in ‘stating my pronouns’. It is the fact that we are policed and punished, that our social mores are now criminalised, that we are forced to conform by threat of being labelled “transphobe” and sacked.

I'm place marking because this shit has started at my office too......fucking power and control - I will dictate what you call me and insist everyone around me and in the universe change to accommodate my preference.

We've lost our minds.

With my HR Director hat on I can't see beyond the ridiculousness.

I love some of these comments but 3 stick out as a possible response.

1. Ignore

2. I find that a very triggering request and it makes me feel very unsafe at work....And repeat.

3. Isthisafreename Saw something on the feminism board about this. It was suggested that HR be asked had they carried out a risk assessment of the potential impact of such a policy on unconscious bias and on stereotype threat.

Unfortunately something like preferred pronoun being “I have a cunt” isn’t going to go down well.

And while misgendering is punished as a hate crime, violent paedophiles walk free and men are getting away with murdering women under the guise of sex games.

Truly dystopian.

i would be tempted to say i'm gender fluid, if as another poster suggested it is to help a trans person, then sure that person can just add 'Ms' or Mr' to their own email that would solve the problem. Everyone adding he or she after their name seems ridiculous

I don't even comprehend how this would appear: OhThe Roses, FCIPD, cis gender woman (?)

I work in a dockyard and a year ago the M.D introduced a mission statement to show our commitment to health and safety in our work environment. It was displayed everywhere and we were expected to memorise it and used it in our signatures.

It went down like a lead shite.

Something like this would literarily make heads explode.

FWIW we are happy to employ any gender (and do) as long as they are capable of doing the job and work well with others.

Also I won’t risk misgendering anyone as I always use they/them in emails.

How about going for a symbol, like Prince used? In all seriousness, it’s probably only a matter of time before someone tries that, as they realise that everyone is using pronouns, rendering their specialness no longer special enough.

But how the fuck are you going to remember all the variations? Let's just use titles.

@NoLeopard where on earth do you work?! Or anyone who's getting this kind of thing in their workplace? Is it sector-specific (academia etc)? Or just central London? I work in a large, multinational corporate environment not very far from London and have never heard of this kind of thing!

I was out to dinner recently with a friend who said many people at her employer (higher education) have started doing this.

She has a unisex name - along the lines of Alex, Lee, Sam - which has in the past led to a lot of confusion when people turn up looking for a male Sam Jones and see a woman. So she signs off her emails "Ms Sam Jones" to avoid confusion. Sensible.

It will be a cold day in hell before I sign off emails with "Amelia Anderson (she/her)."

What a load of woke, precious BOLLOCKS.

Ridiculous, I have on a number of occasions dealt with people over an extended period of time over email and only realized they were the other gender on a phone call. Usually someone with a name from another culture. They would never have realized I thought they were a woman/man and it didn’t matter to how I treated them.

Oh are your kids gay, Science? dont think you mentioned it?

I know that sometimes people will sign off “ first name surname (Ms)” and that seems a lot more helpful that she/her. I’m struggling to think why this is necessary. Write an email “dear first name surname” and then take off the surname when you have more of a relationship. Use “you” or their name when talking to them and then “they” or here’s an idea, their name again when you’re not.
I won’t be doing this if it comes into my work place

Do not whatever you do go into the world of work if you can do it yourself, DOntDribble. I cant stress enough how much bullshit it now entails.

Surely the most sensible way of doing this would be to ask people to sign their emails off with their title, so for example Ms Dave Brown

no no no, you can't do that! You can't assume that Ms Dave is a woman or a man, or that even if Dave is male, they identify as a man!

And besides, many of the desperately woke, add your pronouns to the signature people use Mx.

If they ask just tell them that you don’t age a preference.