Pronouns in my email signature

[GinTonic]

I've been asked to state my personal pronouns in my work email signature. Grateful for any advice on how to deal with this? It's being presented as optional but I feel it's discriminatory as it's putting me under pressure to reveal my personal views on subjects which up to now I have not shared in the workplace. Thanks all.

Why wouldn't you just put your preferred pronoun in? It's just makes life more welcoming and comfortable for trans and non binary ppl and causes no harm to anyone else.

It does, actually.

"I think you're being rather inappropriate" or "You're making me feel uncomfortable"........Just be really fucking offended if anybody asks for your pronouns. Maybe get a migraine because they've asked, or go and sob in the loo.

I am gender neutral and therefore refuse to use gender pronouns but accept pronouns that indicate my sex as ‘female’

dorisdog because its a load of bollocks and I for one and sick of it.

”I think you're being rather inappropriate" or "You're making me feel uncomfortable"

Add in a couple of swears and that’s what
I can say.

I agree that GDPR means en employer shouldn't be forcing people to declare their preferred pronouns.(I am a lawyer and have run training sessions on GDPR)
Fine to allow people to if they want to. Not fine to insist people do.

When I've spotted preferred pronouns in a business email, it's conjured up an impression of the person concerned.

It's one thing colleagues rolling their eyes in an office - it's another when it's potential customers doing the same.

Alternative new pronouns:

"The Manager"
"The Managing Director"
"The Owner"
"The Chief Executive Officer"
"The Chief Finance Officer"

would be a good start. Followed by:

"Your boss"
"Your manager"
"Your friend in Jesus"
and best of all
"Your Mama".

With a 10 page explanation (of each) for your union if any is rejected ....

The way to stop nonsense like this is to make it cost - big time.

@NeverTwerkNaked what's your view on employees being "encouraged" to do this? Would you consider that potentially illegal or is it ok if stayed as optional?

• stated not stayed

Why wouldn't you just put your preferred pronoun in? It's just makes life more welcoming and comfortable for trans and non binary ppl and causes no harm to anyone else
Ok I've done this on another thread to make a point.
My pronouns are I, me and mine.
Every time you reply to me anywhere on this site I want you to use those pronouns thanks.
Can everyone else please join in to prove this will get really old really fast.

@GinTonic I think the employer would be on shaky ground. I think it is fine for employees to be supported if it is something they wish to do but anything beyond that is ill advised.

Human Rights law (right to a private life) could also be cited.

How do they expect people to remember? I have a pretty poor memory.

Will HR provide a list to cross check against when writing emails? I'm not kidding many people have a large contact circle, including people they don't actually know personally/ haven't met. I suppose the easiest way is just to refer to everyone by name or initials? In conversation it's going to be hard though.

I have a hard enough time remembering people's names.

Is this being pushed by people who are better at remembering things about other people? Because that is a skill (which IME is important for some roles eg business development, hr) but nor all people have by a long chalk.

On so called 'international' pronoun day we were encouraged to put our pronouns in signatures. The way the email was worded though felt emotionally manipulative, something like show your support by putting in your pronouns, so if you didn't you wouldn't be showing support? I did a lot of swearing and most people did eye rolling. Not spotted it in any signatures yet but will be doing a search like another poster did.
If it is not compulsory just ignore it.

Be curious how they intend to educate customers to use the correct pronouns ? Presumably there would be a warning, and then customers that can't get with the programme are dropped ?

What's the legal view on how long someone is required to keep a stated point of view (I ask to be mischevious, as I damn well know there isn't one ...) ? Whatever that time period is. maybe there's scope for deciding to change you preferred pronouns a few times a month, with a readiness to jump on anyone who gets it wrong ?

I realise to some it may seem like I'm not taking this seriously ... but as the old joke goes: you started it ...

BananaFloofBix * Ok I've done this on another thread to make a point.
My pronouns are I, me and mine.
Every time you reply to me anywhere on this site I want you to use those pronouns thanks.
Can everyone else please join in to prove this will get really old really fast.*

I'd just like to say I agree with me, I'm thinking perhaps my pronouns should be the the same as mine. (Did I get that right ... I'd hate to misgender me, banana. And I'm sure everyone else found this perfectly comprehensible not just me and me.)

Ignore or tell them you don’t want to. What can they do? Force you to comply? By doing so they could be making you suicidal you know, because you are struggling with which pronouns to choose and now you can claim they are committing a hate crime. Fuck it, cause issue for them if they want to be stupid.

I'd just like to say I agree with me, I'm thinking perhaps my pronouns should be the the same as mine. (Did I get that right ... I'd hate to misgender me,banana. And I'm sure everyone else found this perfectly comprehensible not just me and me
That's the funniest thing I've read on here in a while.
This is what we will all be doing. Replace I, me, mine with xie Xi xer or whatever.
In fact thinking on, "whatever" is a valid pronoun.

I'd ask them to explain why my pronoun was relevant to my role. It isnt. So it isn't necessary to specify it.

This is what we will all be doing

We? Now there's a presumptuous pronoun.

I'm not able to work anymore. I've pretty much come to terms with it, though it's frustrating. But I'm glad I don't have to deal with this fuckery.

I was diagnosed with high functioning autism last year, which has given me an explanation for my inconvenient inability to tell lies. I mean I do lie sometimes but I feel very uncomfortable.

Because of my disability I don't think I could ever manage to remember to use pronouns that didn't match the person's sex.

Precision in language is my main skill. I've made my living from it. And calling an obviously male person "she" would be really mind bending for me. I'd be so uncomfortable. It would totally stilt my thought process and communication.

I don't know whether my disability would protect me in a work setting.

In a social setting I'd give a wide berth to anyone who insisted on novel pronouns. Too much like hard work. I expect I'm not alone.

I feel the same Prawn I feel severe discomfort lying, everything has to be based on reality, it's difficult to explain but I can't pretend something just to be polite, I mean I could avoid a conversation, but I would be distressed to call a man she, it's a physical feeling rather than a rational thought. I've never been diagnosed with anything but I do sometimes wonder.

Same here, Prawn, and in fact I'm put off taking work from one client who has come out as non-binary because I'd prefer to avoid that particular minefield.

It's not just that 'they' are non-binary but that 'they' are ever so combative and campaigning about the validity of the non-binary identity. (Youngish woman. Short hair, 80s style, otherwise very obviously female. I presume I can still call 'them' a woman, given 'they' aren't claiming to be a man?)

Seems to me there's not much point trying to rewrite anything for precision and clarity while your actual client is determined to confuse the reader.

Honestly, I could see the appeal of using a nice neutral 'Mx' and hoping people therefore won't make sexist assumptions about your ability (though I suspect it's almost entirely used by women, as men tend to benefit from the sexist assumptions...). It's the rest of the guff that beats me.