We've had the inevitable pronouns email at work...

[OgdensGoneNutFlake]

As above, I've had the virtue-signalling pronouns email at work. It's optional to put your preferred pronouns (which is the option I will be taking) but its the sort of environment that it will be noticed, and possibly commented on.

There was a thread a while back I can't seem to find that had short, non-inflamatory replies for why I won't be adding my he/she/zom/zur/zee's after my name- can anyone point me in the right direction of it? Or give me some safe-for-work replies to disengage from the conversation. I've only been there a few months and I don't really have the energy to be fighting battles with people who won't be listening anyway.

Alternatively, tell them it's this one, with the handy pronunciation guide - and any deviation by even one syllable will be treated as actual violence and reported as a hate incident.

I haven't at my work.. I suspect given my email signature is...

Mrs firstname second name

Then it's pretty fucking obviously I'm a woman!!

I have 2 jobs and have been asked to do this in both - neither presented it as optional - both times I said I prefer not to share personal information and nothing more was said. The other option is just to ignore the request and wait to see if you’re asked again, they may not raise it again.

it’s a pain in the bum and a distraction from actual work. Hopefully it will fade away before too long.

I was amazed how few people in my fairly woke organisation have bothered with email pronouns despite several all-org emails "reminding" us of the option and "how easy" it is to show our allyship in this way.

Also regular pieces from the Equality & Diversity team on the intranet (a very, very mild GC comment on a piece - objecting to the use of cis) was swiftly deleted but not before it had attracted several more comments agreeing.

Water off a duck's back to most of us which I suspect means that any kind of attempt at compulsion or shaming wouldn't work and they know it.

Fab thanks, these are great.
I hopefully won't be asked but it's good to have a few answers up my sleeve. It's a VERY gossipy organisation and I can imagine there will be chat about it over the ("totally relaxed") social coffee and cake in the morning. With any luck most people will think it's all bollocks as well.

Also agree with pp who said its already starting to look very dated.

I declined and said I would rather take the risk of being misgendered

Apparently emoji pronouns are a thing now, so you can say you want to be referred to as 🍆/🐧 if you like. If anyone comments, remind them not to invalidate your identity.

Ignore.

If challenged, say something like “I’m not comfortable doing this, because it relates to protected characteristics. It should be pretty obvious what pronoun I use from my first name; if someone isn’t sure, it’s fine for them to just ask me.” Or, add (Ms.) after your name, and if challenged, just say “I think that makes it pretty clear what my pronouns are and also gives people my correct title, so I think this is a clearer way to do things.”

🤣

On written forms/Zoom calls etc I just write N/A - I like the thought of confused gender believers puzzling over whether they should actually refer to me as en/ay or if I just mean ‘not applicable’.

In person I either just say ‘No thank you!’ with a big smile or ‘Oh! Sorry, I’m not really into religion’ depending on what I think I can get away with.

I have not been asked this at work, but if I do I might go back to the old fashioned thing of using Ms or Mrs in brackets after my name.

It's a breach of the Yogyakarta principles designed to stop discrimination

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.

Ignore it

Unless their badges are now sandwich boards (well, almost) they can’t meet the design standard of the yellow “hello my name is…” badges. But why centre the actual very real needs of patients when an HCP wants to demand validation &/or to be [seen to be being] a good person who is On The Right Side Of History? 🙄

Hopefully more will follow your example.

I’ve completely ignored the suggestion of adding pronouns at work, they said it was optional so if anyone ever decided to ask me I think I’d reply to say oh I thought it was optional…

There is someone at work whose email signature is the most annoying I've ever seen, making use of swirly signature font, plain, large bold font for her job title and who signs herself Mrs Annoying Person followed by pronouns.

One would think use of Mrs indicates the pronouns?

In fact I think she is the only person I have seen who uses Mrs (or the other titles) in her email address.

But if I had an email requesting my pronouns I might add (Mrs) after my name instead. And come over all formal and start insisting on being referred to as Mrs Cann.

Just say it’s triggering for you and look sad.

"The trans people that I know don't like the trend; they've worked hard to make their gender identity obvious and they find it insulting that they'd need to declare their pronouns. I believe that the best allyship is to follow their wishes and not encourage this trend."

Or

"Forcing somebody to declare their pronouns before they are ready to is hardly being a good ally, is it" 😪

Or

"Forcing somebody to out themselves if they don't want to hardly LGBTQIAA+ friendly, is it?"

"Well they could lie"

"You think that Forcing somebody to either have to come out or actively have to hide their identity is being a good ally??" 😳

We have this at work as well.

Just ignore it completely - I’d be surprised if it ever comes up, even as a subject for gossip.

If ever challenged (but I never have and expect I never will) I will be saying “No, I won’t be doing that”.
No need to apologise or explain.

We've been given the option to add pronouns but it was quite some time ago now and I've only seen two people add them (about 4-500 people work in my place). One is the union rep who is lovely but a little misguided on some of the wokey rubbish and the other is a person who identifies as trans who I think thought it would be adopted by more people.

We've been encouraged to add pronouns "if it is safe to do so"
So, if it's brought up again, I may state i feel it's 'unsafe' for me.

I was once on a Teams call where we told (not asked) to add our pronouns there and then to our Teams name so they would appear straight away. I think this was very misguided of the trainer and possibly isn't legal.

I just didn't and about 5 others didn't either, out of about 35 people.

I was ready with my answer if I'd have been challenged I was going to say something like... Putting pronouns beside one's affords gender more importance than it warrants. I think that society should be working to make gender less of our focus about each other, not more. This is my chosen way to be an ally to women, no binary and trans people and other discriminated minorities.

I do believe there would be fewer trans people and fewer people having difficult struggles with gender identity if we were less obsessed with made up gendered binaries full stop.

• beside one's NAME arrgh sorry

Just ignore it. Was with a friend a few months ago who works in an NHS clinic, she told me that they have to refer to each patient as a 'subject' now.