Pronouns campaign being launched at work

[PronounsAtWork]

I found out after the break that this is going ahead, although I don't know when I imagine it will probably be next month considering it's LGBTQ+ history month. I guess it means putting pronouns in our email signatures but probably with rainbow lanyards and the like as well. I've been stewing on whether to contact the DEI bod, especially how this campaign stands alongside the Supreme Court judgment. I'm just wondering if you wonderful women have any guidance for me at all?

Given the performative fragility of people who burst into floods of tears at being "deadnamed" or "misgendered", then try to get the colleague who said it hounded out of their job, that's actually a pretty hilarious accusation.

Ah yes, Haitch Lockwood.

I bet Haitch would want to be in the female psych ward. Et Carthago delenda est.

You should loudly and enthusiastically say this is great timing, I read this recent article about the gender bias of LinkedIn and how much changing your pronouns and view to male expanded your reach and I’ve been seriously considering adding my pronouns to linked in as he/him and thinking if there’s any neutral version of my name to support my career aspirations. So I’ll be putting he/him for everything.

im at work so can’t search for the article but google for it?

Whataboutery doesn't make it any less fragile.

I notice that you don't attempt to rebutt any of the excellent reasons why we shouldn't give pronouns:

• Forcing closetted trans people to choose between outing themselves and lying.
• Forcing sex realists to choose between outing themselves and lying.
• Increasing the likelihood of discrimination against women by highlighting who the women are.
• Hampering women's confidence and performance by inducing stereotype threat every time she sends an email.

Et Carthago delenda est.

If not putting pronouns in your email may mark your card with colleagues and bosses who think people should be ousted for Wrongthink, then no, it's not fragile to be concerned. And the excessive fragility of some of the pronoun enthusiasts is completely relevant to the problem.

"Preferred pronouns" are a crybully's dream invention.

A robust repudiation of bullshit genderwang wherever it appears is anything but fragile.

Seriously? You read all of that into simply respecting someone else's personal choice? Nobody is being asked to use pronouns for themselves or even agree with the premise rather respect some one else's right to use them as you would a religious person's right to wear a kippa or cross or be addressed as Ms.

Talk about enforced conformity much.

Strawman. There's no expectation for personal pronoun use other from those who ask for their's to be respected.

A pronoun campaign puts pressure onto people to add pronouns. Pressure, by definition, makes it not so much of a choice.

Et Carthago delenda est.

I'm sorry - you know this how, exactly?

Like respecting a queer person suddenly turns one gay?
Please. You have no evidence of broad peer pressure compliance from simply respecting personal choices.

This is pure projection. It's always the same with a propagandist mentality, 'if its said it enough times people will believe it'.

Nope. Only by bigots who insist on coercing people into their quasi religious belief system. Most never check and don't care.

Stonewall them (pun intended) if they ask you. Don't respond to emails or messages about it at all suddenly say "Oh, sorry I am bursting for the loo" if they start on you, or that you suddenly feel faint. They don't deserve a response so don't give them one.

Or start shaking and say "You are making me feel so unsafe asking about this, I don't want my gender to be shared with anyone".

Because there's no evidence of such.

Feel free to post employment contracts that state otherwise by all means.

I think we both have to pay the OP the courtesy of allowing her to describe what is being demanded of her and her work colleagues. Unless you're better informed about her workplace than she is, of course. Are you?

I'm informed about the law which hardly compels self usage of pronouns. The only mention of it was brought up in Maya Forstater employment case which was it may be considered as harassment to deliberately misgender someone at work.

If you think that just because something isn't spelled out in a contract, it can't be part of the workplace culture, that's a bit naive.

So officially, pronouns may be optional, but unofficially is anybody's guess. OP may be lucky in her workplace and find that nobody cares. Or absence of pronouns may put you on the radar of somebody who is fragile about their own pronouns or over-zealous about other people's and on the alert for "microaggressions". And who will be backed by the management in the event of any dispute because the management want to be seen as "inclusive".

Women - and men - accused of transphobia have lost jobs or been harassed to the point where their job is no longer tenable. That's what all the employment tribunals have been about. Performative display of pronouns is part of the culture that leads to those situations.

Someone wearing a cross or a kappa does not affect me. Having to police my language to use incorrect pronouns for someone or to put pronouns on my emails does. Why should I have to declare my “gender”

Pure speculation then. Saying something might be happening or happening in isolated circumstances doesn't qualify as evidence. If we based all societal decisions on such tenuous allegations rather than evidence we'd be in a hellava mess that's why this sought of speculative nonsense isn't taken seriously by anyone with working brain cells.

No, it's not pure speculation. We know preferred pronouns are a contentious issue and quite likely to be divisive, because they have been. Why stir the pot in the workplace by promoting them?

You’re right. Just look at gender ideology for example and what a shitshow that’s created. Basing entire societal decisions on stupid premises like “humans can change sex” and “gender identity is real”. Sooner that stupidity gets in the bin the better.

But the OP isn’t trying to make a “societal” decision, she asked very specifically how she could personally handle being asked to state her pronouns.

And the thread isn’t about “respecting another person’s pronouns” (that’s a whole different topic)

The OP’s employers have, by asking her to state (and advertise) her pronouns asked her to tacitly acknowledge acceptance of a very specific ideology. One which she doesn’t accept, support or believe.

That her lack of belief in this (and other ideologies) is protected in law hasn’t stopped her employer.

Putting pronouns on badges, auto signatures etc is not a neutral act. There are consequences for women in highlighting our sex.

And just because something isn’t written into a contract doesnt mean your employer can’t pressure you to do something against your will through setting cultural norms and peer pressure.

@Gretel346

The OP says her work will be starting a pronoun campaign soon, in most people’s experience you get an email sent round asking you to add your pronouns to your email signature, that’s the basic level. Sometimes more things like pronouns on badges, or in meetings,
I don’t know what it’s like where you work, but most workplaces, if they send you an email asking you to do something, you are supposed to do it, or at least consider it.

Thats what the OP is doing. It’s not fragile to take your work requests seriously, and weigh up the implications, and consider making an ethical stand.

But didn't we all use pronouns before this was a thing? The only thing that's changed is respecting a trans person's preference so the fact that staff are asked a preference isn't the big deal you make.

If requesting whether you'd like to be known as a she/he/they is sooo concerning its worthy of consulting a forum I would suggest that person has bigger problems than they realise.