Pronouns in email signatures - advice and arguments please

[AdultHumanFemale77777]

I work in a medium sized organisation and have influence in decisions around equality and diversity. I am due in a meeting in the next few weeks where we will discuss whether to suggest(/mandate?!) pronouns in email signatures. I would like to do some research and have well reasoned arguments as to why this is a terrible idea. So far I have - I don't fucking want to, it's performative wokeness at best and actively damaging to women. If we cared about trans identifying people that much we'd pay for proper counselling for dysmorphia.
I would be very grateful for any advice or suggestions for points I can bring to this meeting. Conscious of being branded xyz-phobic for wanting to stick up for actual women.

To mandate pronouns is a terrible idea, and I’m not entirely sure it’s legal. Are you in the UK? Our organization suggested it, and is ignored by all bar the very woke Head of Diversity (used to be Women group but that’s another story).
It could force people who are questioning their gender identity ’out’ before they are ready.
In a male dominated environment brining more attention to a woman’s sex makes it even more likely to suffer sex discrimination

There are also questions around compelled speech if someone chooses made up pronouns like ze/zim/zer and others refuse to use them. Are you going to have a list of acceptable pronouns?

Women perform worse at tasks when reminded of their sex before completing them.
gap.hks.harvard.edu/threatening-intellectual-environment-why-females-are-susceptible-experiencing-problem-solving

I'm not sure it complies with current data collection laws, certainly you are not allowed to store shit like that.

There are some good arguments here. legalfeminist.org.uk/tag/pronouns/

I would focus on making this a choice - and emphasise that it's a valid choice for some people - but it shouldn't be mandatory.

Yes in the UK and in a very female-heavy office so I doubt there'd be much uptake really. I'm aware under the equality act, biological sex is protected as well as gender reassignment, but that doesn't include "gender" and does not mean I'm joining in on the pronoun nonsense.
More pedantic than anything, but it peeves me off because if I'm emailing you I'm talking to you not about you so I don't need to know whether to refer to you as she/him/they/zim/whatever else! It's self absorbed wanky nonsense and it's the start of a slippery slope.
I'd actually like the focus of the meeting to be about how we can expand our reach to support young women of colour from under privileged backgrounds to access our services and not spend the meeting whining about pronouns, so I will be doing my best to steer it in that direction.
It's all bollox

I have used pronouns on my emails and zoom calls for over a year and it's been helpful and hasn't caused any issues.

Point out that it forces people to declare their gender identity. Some people will not be comfortable with this. Or if someone is not "out" in the workplace either they will have to out themselves or misgender themselves every time they send an email.

Out woke them.

Surely it's already a choice as you can put what you like in your email signature.

I'd want to spend as little time on it as possible and look at actual discrimination problems within the company..

I find if I get the very rare email with pronouns I never say anything but I avoid having anything to do with that person if at all possible.

Expand our reach to support young women of colour from under privileged backgrounds to access our services

Good plan. Simple language is key here. Penis Havers is less accessible than men, no matter how much patting on the back people who advocate it do.

Yogyakarta principle 6 notes that nobody should be forced to disclose their gender identity.

Re getting young black women into your organization - are there any groups you can reach out to and find if there is any interest in (paid) internships - with a view to full employment?

So, let's take this to its furthest reach. I e mail literally hundreds of people a week, some I know, some I have never met.

I pay zero attention to pronoun fuckwittery, as I actually think making the effort to remember someones name is way more important and respectful. And half the time I can't even manage that.

If pronouns are so important, and having people recognise them is so important, a declaration in an email is a very weak signal for people to see and respond to accordingly.

If being really rigorous about recognising peoples chosen pronouns is the aim, then I would suggest a more effective route to achieving this would be to have people declare them on a big fuck off badge, that must be worn and visible at all times.

Also, I would think a big tech investment is needed so if I am e mailing Holly, and her pronouns this week are they/sheep, then my e mails should be automatically changed to reflect that, as this is the lowest risk route to having people feel respected at all times. Which is of course what we are paid to think about during working hours.

Sometimes leaning into the madness can make the crazy come to life.

@ASugarr

I have used pronouns on my emails and zoom calls for over a year and it's been helpful and hasn't caused any issues.

How has it been helpful and who has it been helpful for?

yogyakartaprinciples.org/principle-6/

The Right to Privacy

Everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is entitled to the enjoyment of privacy without arbitrary or unlawful interference, including with regard to their family, home or correspondence as well as to protection from unlawful attacks on their honour and reputation. The right to privacy ordinarily includes the choice to disclose or not to disclose information relating to one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as decisions and choices regarding both one’s own body and consensual sexual and other relations with others.

I think it's ok if it's optional. Reasons for it not to be mandatory:
Personally I don't add my pronouns because I don't think my gender is relevant at work. Gender is not an important part of my self concept.
I don't agree with making my emails about me (I work in healthcare and patient care is my chief concern).
I believe pronouns reinforce unhelpful binary ideas about gender roles.
It's probably illegal or discriminatory to make it mandatory.

Sorry - misread that, you said services - not jobs. But the same idea goes. Find grass roots organizations that are working with young black women and go from there?

It's been helpful when talking to and meeting new people. It's made it easier for young people we speak to feel more comfortable and especially anyone who is transgender (which we have a few collegues and young people we support who are). It hasn't negatively affected the workplace and it's a simple change to make.

I would ask them what they plan to do to monitor it.

Are they going to recruit a team of pronoun email monitors that write to everyone asking them to prove they have complied? How much are they going to budget for these jobs/ How many people per day do they have to contact?

If they are not going to hire special people to contact everyone are they going to set employees up to spy and inform on colleagues as an inclusive culture building strategy? Will there be pay for this task or is it part of the companies Volunteer culture?

What do they plan to do with the people that haven't complied? If it is members of the Exec Committee that haven't done it will it be ignored?

Will there be stages of disciplinary action people will go through. What are they?

Have the legal department consulted with a QC about the disciplinary action, spying, and enforced monitoring plans?

How much will you be setting aside for legal advice on legal enforcement.

I saw someone on here say that their response was to say that they wouldn't be declaring any of their protected characteristics in an email signature and if pressed, would ask why she was being expected to highlight that particular one which I thought was a good response.

Love the idea of out-Woking them.
But also- just keep it optional.

@ASugarr

I have used pronouns on my emails and zoom calls for over a year and it's been helpful and hasn't caused any issues.

You do you. This isn't about whether individuals choose to include their preferred pronouns, this is about whether they should be mandated for all.

OP, good reasons for not mandating them are that it could force trans people to 'out' themselves before they are quite ready, plus there is often unconscious bias if people know that they are dealing with a woman.

I plan to ignore it entirely. Let them do the work to convince me...

Transgender people can just use they/them or any pronouns they wish if they don't want to be 'out'. Many transgender people won't even mention they are transgender at work or anything. They will just be like everyone else.