How to use email signature to push back against "preferred pronouns"?

[Albless]

I'm a member of the clergy and I've noticed other clergy and admin staff increasingly have pronouns in brackets after their names in email signatures. The woman who manages my denomination's EDI team also has a clicky link explaining why the pronouns are there. The link takes you to a page of vagueness and mealy-mouthed nonsense.

I'd like to include an alternative in my own signature. So far I've just gone with a couple of lines saying that some in this denomination have pronouns in their signature, but I prefer Woman: adult human female. This seems a bit clunky though, and lacking in information for those for whom this is somehow new.

Any ideas on wording, and also an easy to understand webpage pushing back against pronouns which also gives people the chance to access more information.

I feel saying nothing is saying a lot. Leave it blank and show you won’t engage in this nonsense. Treat it like it doesn’t exist and that will help normalise it not being there.

Everyone in my workplace other than me has pronouns in their signature. Never had a conversation about it - I just don't do it.

I’ve ignored the pronoun requests since our company requested we add them to our email since 2016.

I’ve just ignored every request and not done it. One of my AGMs has ignored it too.

I’ll wait to see what their next approach is. In the meantime I’m just not adding them. There is a transgender person in my team and they’ve never asked me why not. I’m so far just keeping quiet.

It’s particularly alienating for clergy to put pronouns in their signature. Given your identity as a Christian is in Christ and it’s a life where you strive to live a life like Jesus being selfless and serving others. It signals to me a belief system above God and I would leave a church if the clergy had pronouns.

Interestingly the church with the biggest growth in younger people is the Catholic Church - I really don’t think it’s a good idea for the CofE church to embrace a different belief system to God created man and woman and he saw that his creation was good.

For yours I’d just leave them off but I’d have to engage in some way with the people who had them as I think it’s that bad in the church as it’s so counter to the teachings. We should love everyone where they’re at and humans are not perfect but the clergy should also lead by example and pronouns doesn’t do that. :(

"I don't feel comfortable being forced to choose a gender."

Just don’t use pronouns in your email signature, there’s no need to turn it into a soapbox

I wouldn’t put any pronouns in a clergy email signature, just encourages the anti women lot. I have a female boss (clergy) and refer as revered xxxx (surname) to be professional unless I know the person calling because some people ask can they speak to a man instead!

https://fairplayforwomen.com/pronouns/

Someone I know, who is known for not suffering fools, uses "XX chromosomes" when she feels the need.

Well no she obviously doesn’t have to, but if @DuchessofReality had a unisex name but wanted to make it clear she was a woman, then writing (Ms) after her name would be the way to do it. I don’t like it much because the styling comes from the days where women were expected to clarify their marital status, but if you fear being mistaken for a bloke, it does the job.

When the pronouns on email signature thing first came in a few years ago at my workplace (an incredibly captured charity) my brilliant boss at the time said she wouldn’t be putting hers up and she would take her chances being misgendered.

Just ignore their pronouns, It’s getting petty

I wrote 'No preferred pronouns' in the DEI box at my workplace. People get strangely perturbed when I assure them that I have no preference 😂

I have refused, and leave it blank. I think it's utterly ridiculous. I keep getting "reminded", and everyone else seems to have done so, but I won't.
I was tempted to write "hag/crone"

I love this and may use it when needed:

'I will take my chances being misgendered' 🤣

Yeah, some idiocy is best ignored. This issue is looking more and more toxic by the day as trans activists show more of themselves. The pronoun people will gradually give over.

I agree that email signatures are not the place to put political statements.

Also not the place to put any protected characteristics. You don't see people writing:

Sarah Jones
African heritage
Lesbian
Dodgy knee

Agree that simply not having them is a statement in itself. If anyone asks then explain that you believe they are sex based and not preferred or requested.

That perfect as a role model for others.

I would go for a Shakespearean 'gracious silence' on pronouns.

People are tired enough with political statements coming left, right and centre, I would just leave them refreshingly blank.

She doesn’t need to make her sex clear in an email signature. It’s one of the reasons feminists object to pronouns statements - reduces the chance of stereotypes kicking in before someone has even met you. Having an unsexed title too is good!

Can you just put 'Child of God' or if really pushed 'Daughter of God', surely that's a more important identity and one I'm planning on using when work makes them mandatory

You are making your own statement by not adding pronouns already.

I agree. Dignified silence is much better. You aren’t subject to the same employment rules as an office holder but just purely for pastoral reasons I wouldn’t put a big long link. I’m gender critical but I want those I work with going through gender distress to not be alienated by me. In my experience people are more likely to think you have a valid point once they realise you genuinely and actually care about them.

Just don't do it you can't be forced too so just dont