Do not joke or say things like “Well, I use he/him/his pronouns, OBVIOUSLY.”.

Do not say “I use female pronouns” or “I use male pronouns.”.

Partially conjugate the pronouns you use during introductions – for example, “I use she/her/hers pronouns.”.

During introductions, don’t compel someone to share pronouns.Pronoun Buttons are always available at the Gender & Sexuality Center, feel free to stop by Clader House to get one to put on your backpack, jacket, etc. For example, you could say, “Hey, I’m Schiller and I’m from Germany, I’m a senior English and Philosophy double major and I use he/him pronouns.” It’s really easy to incorporate pronouns into your introductions. Recognize that while this might make some people confused, it’s also an awesome opportunity to explain why you doing it, and it will really mean something to those who have been misidentified or care about the issue.ĭon’t expect that if you ask once, you’re set forever - people’s (gender) identities can change, so check in. Here are some tips: Kick things off by asking: “What pronouns do you use?”

So, how do we avoid making incorrect assumptions about gender pronouns and make our campus welcoming to transgender, gender non-binary, and gender creative people? ASK! Or use gender-neutral pronouns, like “they” or “them.” We get that asking for people’s pronouns can be awkward. People who look to be one gender to you may identify as another gender. Some people express their gender in a non-binary way and use pronouns such as they/them or ze/hir/hirs. When we use pronouns like “she” or “he” to identify a person without asking them what pronouns they use, we might be making an assumption about that person’s gender that differs from their gender identity.

What does pronoun mean