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.

My minister has indicated she is anti-Trump and pro-Palestine during a sermon. I thought it was highly unprofessional, even those are positions I know many would think weren’t that controversial.

I would just not have them.

If I were forced to include a statement (which seems very unlikely now) I would put something like, "I don't tell other people what pronouns to use."

I agree with the silence. When I get an email from someone I don't jump to their signature to learn more about them. I read the content of the email and think about the reply. The sender's address is in the "letterhead" of the email, so I don't even really take on board the signature. That said, I think it should be kept to name and designation. When we've been invited over the years to add pronouns, it was more interesting to me to see who didn't. Similarly when we were invited to add a pic of ourselves - most of us ignored that.

Thanks for all the comments.

The pronouns irk me, to put it mildly, but I have decided that their absence speaks for itself so have taken my signature back to the usual full name and designation.

I will however, take a bit of time to read and think, and will contact the church EDI team about this issue, as the use of pronouns normalises a very harmful ideology.

Just don’t put pronouns on 🤷‍♀️

Well done OP! This is a far more powerful strategy. 👏

haha I love this

mine would be

Toffeeapple Turnip
White Northerner
Happily single but up for a shag
Tinnitus

I have Mrs before my name. It’s rebellious in my context where pronouns and Ms dominate.

Rev. Is not gendered. In other countries they combine them (Herr Dr) I honestly think that unless you actual name is ambiguous you name should be enough. Rebel by having no pronouns and not explaining because your choice is self evident.

Even if your name is ambiguous what difference does it make whether the other persons knows your sex or not? I email a lot of people in my work and often assume someone is of one sex if its a name I'm unfamiliar with and I later find our they're of the opposite sex. It doesn't make any difference to how I treat them or respond to them. I had been merrily emailing someone for years who I thought was a man and then they connected with me on LinkedIn and I realised that they are a woman.

A gender critical statement is totally inappropriate in anyone's email signature but even more so for any member of the clergy. You don't have to believe the magic genderwoo or perform their silly rituals of pretending that they have no idea which pronouns to use for you if you don't tell them. However, Jesus loves even those who do believe such things, and it's not your job to make them have a more rational approach to such things, just to let them know about that love.

My preference in your position would just be to not mention gender or pronouns at all in your signature. it isn't necessary to use that space in most cases. If you must use it, then you could just write: "Galatians 3:28" in the relevant space.

God will address each of these as "my precious child, my beloved" regardless of their beliefs on gender.

I was very pleased on a college Zoom that only two out of about 30 people had pronouns on their name. I think leaving off pronouns is enough of a statement at the moment.

Why do people even need to know in an email context?

If I'm Rev Sam Jones, then their reply to me surely is either Dear Rev Jones, or more informally, Dear Sam. What they call me to others is of no interest to me.

It's all such a load of bollox and I do judge those who include their pronouns in a signature.

i understand people saying a workplace is not the place to argue this point, but what really pisses me off is it’s ok for the other side to vocalise and publicise this, giving them a voice, them especially being so vocal looks like they are the ones with the majority, but they aren’t.

There is a time for quiet and there is a time to voice your opinion. If others are being vocal using work email ( which I think is an absolute NO!) Then you should be able to vocalise your position, even if it’s just by making sure your Ms, Miss or Mrs is in bold!

I really think you should remove that wording as some will find it provocative & hostile. I say this as a gender critical feminist myself-it does not offer anything positive & is irrelevant to most emails. Pronouns are too but doesn’t mean you need to retaliate other folk’s signatures with anything.