Outcome of my company asking everyone to add pronouns to signatures

[McOrange]

My company (a large corporate) finally jumped on the pronoun bandwagon. I’m on a committee of senior people so managed to steer the comms away from making it mandatory to being voluntary. To which our D&I Committee assured me that everyone would definitely definitely do it cos it’s the right thing to do etc etc

This happened a few months ago and so far only 2% of people have added it (pretty much just the D&I Com). I spoke to some younger people today and casually asked if they were going to do it and they all said no, it’s bollocks, no interest etc.

It’s a small victory but I felt very pleased at this! We have a dotted line as an organisation in to a bigger co which is one of Stonewall’s trans ally companies so pleased to have retained this tiny bit of control.

As you all were.

@snoopyfloops

I have found that fear of being caught up in a damaging trans row a la BBC, Royal Society, Sussex Uni, etc is more important to our senior team than being 'inclusive'.

Some trans folk at work came forward to say that they had been victims of transphobia. Much Pearl clutching and horror. On closer investigation it turned out that someone had said that biological sex is immutable at a work event. They also said work should pay any employees transitioning costs.

This sort of thing has damaged the TRA in the eyes of the senior exec team.

What I'd give to have seen that TRA's face when they realised that nobody was falling for their imagined transphobia claim.

But schadenfreude aside, it's very irritating when someone makes fake discrimination claims like this because it lends legitimacy to those who claim that people are "playing the [whatever] card". The vast majority of the time, when people point out prejudiced or discriminatory behaviour, it's an actual problem, even if it's something that wouldn't have been noticeable to those not in the group affected. The more often someone brings a complaint about discrimination that turns out to be patent bollocks, the more difficult it's going to make it for someone to report actual subtle racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other discriminatory behaviour and be taken seriously.

Great work op.

In real life ime-

The massively vast majority think

It's utter bollocks
It's shit for women
Otherwise just not really interested

The idea that most agree with it all Inc prisons sport etc is just totally detached from reality.

It's certainly groups a fair bit of media. Activists. And loads of politicians. Universities. Etc.

Pushing it reinforcing to each other. Making lots of noise. They seem to be unaware. That the idea it's a topic of interest to public and most are in favour of fucking over women. Is just ludicrously totally wrong.

@Libraryghost

I got asked what my pronouns were at work. I genuinely had no fucking idea what anyone was talking about. I kept saying ‘ of course I am a woman, do I look like a bloke to you’?’ ‘They??? How can anyone be a ‘they’? ‘That’s grammatical bollocks surely?’ I felt like I had landed in an alternative universe. I have never been asked again and you could see from the squirming faces THEY were embarrassed, not me. I was genuinely thick in this instance but my advice is even if you know what they are talking about - act thick.

some of us do not need to act...

That's fantastic, well done!

"To which our D&I Committee assured me that everyone would definitely definitely do it cos it’s the right thing to do etc etc"

"And so funny that the D&I team are so out of touch with what people really think."

Because they live in a bubble.

Ours is voluntary, I've only seen it on one. But I'm not sure what IT tools would be in place to work out what the actual percentage of people who have done is - how do you do that?

If ours insists, I'm simply going to add "Ms" because it gets up my nose that everyone calls me Mrs when I'm a Ms, even my bloody doctor, so I'll say that will do in place and being called Mrs is triggering for me.

I just don't understand it at all. If you present as a gender then people assume you are that gender, so surely putting pronouns is for when your presentation is ambiguous, which surely you don't want attention drawn to? But also, pronouns are only used when you are not in the vicinity, so why do you care what people call you behind your back?
And if you're doing it because you're non binary, well firstly that isn't a sex class, secondly who cares? Thirdly why do you want everyone to know?

I don't really buy the unconscious bias against women, mainly because I have a female name so people know from that I'm a woman. Tempted to put "he/him" and ask for my pay rise!

This is great

@RedDogsBeg

I spoke to some younger people today and casually asked if they were going to do it and they all said no, it’s bollocks, no interest etc.

Now that made me smile.

That’s wonderful. I thought there was a clear generational divide with young ‘uns wholesale signing up to this.

That's great. We've been encouraged to add ours to our email sign-offs too. Thankfully it's not mandatory. If it becomes compulsory I will add my pronouns as 'my name is Anna...so please just use your best guess'