I am embracing virtue signalling pronouns in emails

[MsFogi]

I have realised I have made too many assumptions about gender over the years. I had always assumed that Paul (name changed of course) in my company was a man simply on the basis of his appearance (well over 6 foot, well built, big beard, low voice that only someone with an Adam's apple and whose balls have dropped could have). Imagine my relief to find that I have not been misgendering him for over a decade because he has helpfully added his pronouns to his email auto signature - they are he/him/his. There is no company diktat to add pronouns on emails so clearly this is important to Paul or maybe he has been misgendered recently.

So, I thought I would ensure that Paul was not offended on a Teams meeting this afternoon and kicked off the meeting by asking everyone to note that Paul's pronouns are he/him/his and that given that he has stated these that everyone please be sensitive to ensuring that they use them. No one said anything so I think they all took it on board, no one misgendered Paul and I like to think that his move to include his pronouns at work has been embraced in my meeting. Maybe as a result others that attended the meeting will add theirs to their auto signatures too.

Its unprofessional to bring your religious beliefs to work, to shove down others throats.
He must know in the current climate that putting your pronouns on your work signiture is not a neutral act. It signals support for a very dogmatic and oppressive movement, that is currently hugely fashionable, that is dangerous in my book and he is acting like an oppressor to women who may not buy into this new religion.
He likely knows its putting pressure onto others to show compliance to an idology they may well be indifferent or outright hostile to.

I wish the Two Ronnies were still with us to make a pronoun sketch. Their class system sketch is classic gold.

It's really not. It's actually one of the nastiest threads I've seen on munsnet, and that's saying something.

It is saying you've not read any threads in AIBU, Style & Beauty, The Dog Kennel or The Cat Litter Tray.

An opinion that it is not funny is just that - an opinion, I find some of the purported hilarious threads in Classics not hilarious so what?

Do people actually sign off emails with the salutation or descriptor of Mr or Ms ?

I feel very left out - no one has ever asked for my pronouns. If they do, my pronoun will be “it”

I just use my name with my job title underneath. We did have a very junior member of staff who put his whole degree title after his name but usually name and job title is all that is encouraged.

Yet, on the other hand, when a middle aged woman embraces this it is assumed that I am mocking the person with pronouns/am unprofessional to ensure that someone is correctly gendered

But you were mocking him. You know it, and he knows it.
The fact that you were sly and underhand about it doesn't make it any better.

But hey, bullying is totally professional as long as you hide it well so that he can't prove anything.

But what if someone had misgendered him in the meeting? Would that not have put OP in a difficult position as she knew his preferred pronouns beforehand. She would then have to let him be misgendered, sit through an awkward correction or be accused of encouraging misgendering by not sharing his pronouns. What if someone assumed Paul was a woman?

Nah the enforced pronouns crowd are the ones doing bullying

“call this biological man a woman!!”

”erm ok if it’ll make them feel ok”

Now give them access to all womens spaces”

”erm hang on they’re a man”

”no they are not!! You are addressing them as she or her are you not?? You clearly agree they’re a woman otherwise why are you using female pronouns. You have no right to keep this woman out of female spaces”

“but….i was only doing it to be kind. Obviously they’re not really a woman….”

”bigot!TERF! Witch”

That’s now my position. I refuse to be compelled to lie. It’s against my religious beliefs. Why should I consign myself to hell to validate someone else? .

But it is the virtuous and kind thing to do, to correct Sarah in payroll and make her feel small, because she didn't know Dylan in IT was non-binary now. Sarah has a lot on her mind, and is going through a personal cancer scare, and struggling with meeting the care needs of her aging parents. Her inner life is invisible to Dylan and therefore it does not exist, and her feelings certainly don't count.

Indeed! And as Bill Maher wisely said: "When what you’re doing sounds like an Onion headline, stop". www.thewrap.com/maher-on-cancel-culture-when-what-youre-doing-sounds-like-an-onion-headline-stop/

It is saying you've not read any threads in AIBU, Style & Beauty, The Dog Kennel or The Cat Litter Tray

Nope - I read AIBU and this is definitely one of the nastier threads.

But you were mocking him. You know it, and he knows it.
The fact that you were sly and underhand about it doesn't make it any better.

Absolutely.

Well why are you reading it then?

It's really not. It's actually one of the nastiest threads I've seen on munsnet, and that's saying something.

lol! Now that’s funny.

It’s always interesting to see what activates a collective dummy throw. Seems like they really really don’t want other people emulating OP.

Which is great to know! Thanks @MsFogi

Yes @TastefulRainbowUnicorn , it’s quite funny to see the hyperbole. If this is the nastiest thread on mumsnet, must be a netmums escapee.

<snort>

It’s the poor it departments I feel sorry for. In our organisation, only they are allowed to amend email signatures. Can you imagine if everyone in the organisation (6000+) decided they were gender fluid and wanted different pronouns every time they changed gender. But they’d soon be stopping that nonsense.

Seriously?! Cripes.

How come?

Is it the word 'gobbledegook'?

Oh no! Have I committed the worst sin on mumsnet? Am I sentenced to 6 hours is sporners corner or do I have to do a flounce?

Can I just check the protocol for when pronouns are declared, if it's really upsetting so many people that OP used the given pronouns?

We are to register the pronouns but not under any circumstance are we to use them, is that correct? We are to understand the motivation is merely unfortunate and make allowances?

Be really careful not to flounce in sporner's corner, I think that could get really messy. You'd end up covered in gobbledegook.

<bork>. Now that’s a thought. I’ll be good and not use bad words, honest guv.

It's really not. It's actually one of the nastiest threads I've seen on munsnet, and that's saying something.

Yes, it's saying something ridiculous. This is a lighthearted thread about honouring people's self-expressed pronouns. There are rape apologist threads, racist threads, and poo trolls.