Declining to put my preferred pronouns in my email signature

[HowDoIGetThisThingOff]

It's finally happened, I've been "told" to put my preferred pronouns in my email signature at work.

I've emailed back saying my preference is that I don't do this. But I'm feeling a bit anxious 😬.

Please can I get some advice on what to say if they come back with questions or pressure to comply?

Could you cite the research that indicates that once a woman signals her sex in an otherwise non-face to face interaction, the response is more prone to be sexist? That a woman drawing attention to her sex leads them to be treated differently, and less well?

At the start of the BBC's (!) Americast podcast, there is a wonderful sound bite:
"My name is Ted Cruz, and my pronouns are Kiss My Ass".

The main reasons people put their pronouns in their signatures are:

1. Woke virtue signalling
2. Fear of being labelled a TERF
3. They #BEKIND types who don't think beyond that

Realistically, people will mainly only use third person pronouns to refer to me when I am not there, so really, it has no impact on me at all which ones they use.

Good on you op

Don’t add them

I quite like "We/Us" 🤔

Providing pronouns leads to numerous preconceptions that could lead to discrimination.
Recent research shows that certain pronouns mean you're less likely to be offered a job interview. In a professional context, why choose to disadvantage your future career prospects so your organisation can tick a box for diversity training or funding.

No, it's not.

@DiscoBeat If people use sex-based third-person pronouns, as is the rule in English grammar, they will get it right 100% of the time.

Are you seriously pretending that you are unaware of how females are discriminated against in the workplace? If so, then you'd be better reading the numerous research papers and ONS reports on that topic, than wasting time on MN.

No one has got it wrong for me so I’m fine not adding it.

My advice is simply to ignore. I have and nobody has said anything to me about it.

Except one colleague who mentioned it one day and I changed the focus by saying "ah well you've got a unisex name (eg Alex, Sam) so it's useful for you to do it" and he said "ah yes, maybe I should" and that was the end of the conversation.

We're expected to do this, I'm still refusing. A rather arsey line manager has started to put pressure on me, so I said I'd go for hag/crone. He complained that I was being deliberately difficult, and my approach "isn't in the spirit".

That's tickety-boo with me. People will assume all sorts of things about me, and do so on a daily basis. Not my circus.

As for getting it wrong, it's irrelevant what people call me behind my back.

In the example above, if they copied me into an email saying "Liese said you would like her to do x" and I wasn't happy with the reference to "her", I'd just reply saying "oh actually I'm a him". Or whatever gender I'd chosen that day.

Interestingly I did a (running) race on Sunday and there was an Elijah in the results. Female. (Under 12). I assume it was a mistake but perhaps it wasn't?

Because there is no need. Just as there is no need for anyone to put their birthdate in an email because your age, and your gender, are of no relevance to anyone but you. People who want their pronouns displayed are either trying to use other people to validate their “gender identity” or are desperate for approval.

“I think preferring not to say what you prefer is a bit petty, to be honest. It's only so that people get it right.”

Would it also be petty preferring not to put as your email signature whether you are Protestant or Catholic?

What if employers wanted to know this and wanted everyone to declare either way?

Ok so you’re an atheist but are you a Protestant atheist or a Catholic atheist?

I don’t believe in the new religion of gender identity. My employer should not be forcing me to declare what flavour of this new religion I am (none, I don’t subscribe to it, is apparently not an option) nor coercing me into participating in the rites and rituals of this new religion.

No thank you. I’m not a believer in gender identity philosophy/ideology.

A male line manager? Well then the responses along the lines that it disadvantages women should shut him up. Otherwise I'd ignore him or say "we've been through this, I am not doing it, people can call me what they like" and change the subject.

Actually female line managers may need educating too - at the moment they seem to be the trans lobby's #bekind's useful idiots.

I think your comprehension is lacking @BonnieBobbin if you think I'm unaware of sexism in the workplace ...

I'd be tempted to put something stupid like wee/woo to see if anyone dares to question it

But this is not an option if you are French, or Italian,possibly Spanish and maybe German ( not absolutely sure about this) speaking, or using that language; because there is no neuter pronoun in those languages, everything is male or female. The plurals are gendered as well, so if you are putting the chairs away, those chairs will be referred to as ‘elles ‘ unlike the knives, which are il/ils . Even qualities such as wisdom or courage are gendered.

Although you suggest the neuter plural is used for the uncertain, of course this is grammatically nonsense, since one non binary person is still just one person. I am reliably informed that the neuter singular is offensive, although logically it would be more accurate. ( and neutral/ neuter is neutral , surely).

You may think I am not serious, but I am. Language matters.

Not research but an interesting example -

people.com/human-interest/man-discovers-his-invisible-advantage-at-work-after-he-switches-email-signatures-with-a-female-colleague/

The irony being he's really "Rafael". but for some weird reason has decided not to use that in politics in Texas in America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz

@BonnieBobbin You misread my post - I was asking the OP "If you could cite ..." I know the research (I may even be responsible for some of it ...) So, you know, stop & think and don't be so rude next time.

Yes, male. You'd think that there would be other stuff concerning him (he/his) what with behaviour, achievement and results and all, but hey ho - priorities. I'm going to ignore him and intend to be the last person with no identified pronouns, if need be. I'm taking none of his crap, believe me.

Although I am tempted to put hag/crone