Preferred pronoun labels at childrens event

[StopitSarah]

I took my primary age children to a science event this weekend. It’s run by university students. Almost all of them had their preferred pronouns on their name labels.

AIBU to feel that was unnecessary and to feel a bit uneasy? One of my children wanted to know why “the man is saying we should say he/him. Isn’t that obvious?”

I asked one of the students who said it was to show support to any trans helpers and was for the benefit of the (adult) students, not the children.

I’m SO BORED and irritated by the trans agenda being every-bloody-where.

But AIBU? I had a good chat with one of the students and he said that they’re all science students and understand that woman = biological female is too simplistic. My brain exploded.

@slashlover our school doesn’t do trans indoctrination. Thankfully. I’ve checked the secondary school they’re likely to go to too. Firmly gender critical.

Your kid was right on the nose. I’d like to think I would have just replied “Yeah, I know, it’s bonkers isn’t it?”

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow I don’t want anyone to be upset. But I do feel I having to swallow my own feelings of upset and being offended so as not to “hurt” the trans lobby. It does feel like exceptional gas lighting.

Do the uni employees or students get a choice in this?

@Cosyblankets no. A few just had their name. When I asked, they said they hadn’t seen the instruction in time. I said I was grateful that their badge was much clearer to my children.

I don’t know why they’d need to know their pronouns in this situation anyway.

I get having a name badge but in what scenario would the children say him or her anyway.

@StopitSarah

There are extremists at both ends of the argument - I have patients in my clinic who insist that I use their gender pronouns, even though I deliberately just use first names in order to try and avoid any disagreements - despite this 'Karen', who is obviously a biological male insists on me using Mrs Smith... It's a thinly veiled attempt to make a point, that frankly, I have no interest in, and to display feigned offence when I refuse.

On the other hand, there are Gender critical people who take equal offence at others who wish to display their chosen gender pronouns on a badge, or email signature....

Frankly, if it's not been pushed in my face, I really don't care. It's like religion, I have an inner belief that anyone who believes in a God is seriously deluded, I never voice it to an individual, because I know that view could offend some people, and by the same token, I'm more than happy for people to believe whatever nonsense they want, provided it isn't forced down my throat. If someone is wearing a crucifix, Dastar or Kippah, that's fine, whatever, no different from having a little badge with some words on it.

In all the pronoun nonsense is one allowed to say Call Me Madam ?

I agree it was out of place here (and is anyway, in the big wide world). No one needs pronouns on a badge any more than they need their star sign on there.

My DD has known since pre-school - two sexes, male and female. You cannot change sex. As she’s got older we have discussed the concept of gender - and that is all it is, a hypothesis - because I feel strongly that it is a concept that is harmful and limiting to both sexes. Without the concept of gender there is no “gender identity”. It’s interesting how the gender ideologues are so keen to hang on to this unhelpful concept.

it's not that deep. maybe stay inside if you're going to be such a snowflake about things that don't matter.

I don’t mind it as long as no one is forced to parade their pronouns on a badge. My issue is we know that people often are forced and at that point it feels like indoctrination into a cult and I want to push back against it.

Meh. I just say to my primary-age child that some people like to imagine they are the other sex.

Things like this matter very much. Women's rights are being eroded by TRAs.

We didn’t go to an event over half term as it stated it was for girls and trans children. It was an even for 6-7yr olds. WTAF.

1. there’s no such thing as a trans 6 yr old
2. why should girls accept having boys in their group?

At one point there was a male and a female student at the front of a stage. The woman was collecting pens. I said to my child “go and give your pen to the woman”. I also might have said “go and give her the pen”. This woman was the only person I saw with “they/them” pronouns. Very clearly a woman. I couldn’t see her badge from a few metres away, only when we got close.

she looked a bit cross and it was only as I walked away that I realised I had misgendered her. But if I’d said “go and give them the pen” that wouldn’t have been clear as there was a man and a woman.

This does matter. The idea that anyone should refer to a man as ‘she’ is quite clearly nonsense. Harmful nonsense at that.

Im all for equality but the recent generation have taken it too far. Im sure some of the children wont be able to read. What do they do then. throw a strop because a toddler used the wrong pronoun.

@skyfalldown
“it's not that deep. maybe stay inside if you're going to be such a snowflake about things that don't matter.“

to which I’d reply, “it’s not that deep, maybe stay inside if you’re going to be such a snowflake that people using the pronouns that match your biological sex upsets you.”

Recently I met someone who presents very much as male, ie beard, masculine clothes etc but insists on the pronoun she/her. Whilst I have absolutely no issues with someone's sexuality, gender identity etc I found it really hard to remember that they were a she/,her so accidentally slipped up a few times. I equally find it difficult to get my head around using they/,them as sometimes it doesn't make grammatical sense. I have been pulled up a few times for getting it wrong and had a few angry comments aimed at me. I am happy to use whatever pronoun someone prefers but I wish those expecting me to be tolerant of their preferences showed some tolerance for me getting used to a change in language.

@Minimummonday what was that event? I’m 99% sure I saw that too! Hang on, was it a NCO event?

The person with the beard was biologically male by the way.

I went to an event where we were all supposed to put our pronouns on our badges and introduce ourselves as Name, Pronoun.

I put Name, Human on my badge and introduced myself as Name, Not choosing to specify pronouns at this time. I did it all very cheerily so no one could say anything.

Just call people what they want to be called and have fun at the event. Not difficult. It's not a large scale attempt to indoctrinate children, and making a fuss is just going to mean something like this is less likely to run in future if it relies on the goodwill of the students.

@Jenn3112 only once did I have to use a pronoun. The information was as useless as telling me their star sign.

I once referred to a trans woman as he and apologised. They said ‘don’t worry you’re drunk (we were in a pub.) I wasn’t drunk they look like a man is the reason I did it. I was really annoyed I accepted that.