Are you a he, she or a they? Students to get ‘gender badges’
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STUDENTS are being encouraged to wear “gender pronoun” badges to indicate whether they would like to be referred to as he, she or they.
The badges will be handed out to freshers at Edinburgh University during welcome week next month to help transgender people.
A guide to pronouns released by the university students’ union last week said that those who make assumptions based on appearance risk “singling out trans people who want to clarify their pronouns”.
It said: “Many people assume that the pronouns they should use for an individual are obvious.
Frustrating
“People who look like men should be referred to using he/him, and people who look like women should be referred to as she/her.
“However, these assumptions based on appearance can be frustrating and harmful, particularly for trans folks who might challenge people’s perceptions of what a man or woman looks like, and those who might use gender-neutral pronouns.”
The guide added that gender is “fluid”, so even if someone has used a particular pronoun in the past, they may no longer feel it is correct.
“People may wish to change their pronouns throughout their life for a variety of reasons,” it said. “Giving them the opportunity to do that without having to single themselves out is part of being a good ally to trans people.”
The students’ union added that it is important to “challenge the narrative that pronouns can be assumed”. But it warned that students should avoid using the term “preferred” pronouns, as this can suggest they are a preference and not a necessity.
Instead, students are encouraged to ask questions such as, “Could you just remind me of your pronouns?”, and use gender neutral phrases like “welcome everybody” rather than “welcome ladies and gentlemen”.
Students at the University of Sussex and employees at Brighton and Hove City Council were similarly invited to wear pronoun badges in March as part of the city’s #MyPronounsAre campaign.
Local councillor Emma Daniel said: “We all define our own gender and we should respect other people’s identities and rights.”
Some badges also say “please use my name” while others are left blank for users to fill in themselves.
“Read the badge, respect people, it’s that easy,” she added.