Why pronouns matter

I recently started listing my pronouns on my emails and my social media accounts.

Some people might think it’s obvious. I’m not transgender, why should I list my pronouns? I guess it’s obvious because I’ve identified as female all my life. I think I look female. I doubt anyone would use the wrong pronouns for me.

Then why bother? It’s not for me or for you. It’s for that young person who may have just come out or not come out yet. That person sees my profile and thinks, if she can do it, so can I. It’s for the parents who are adjusting to new pronouns for their child. It’s for the co-workers who are adjusting to a new name and pronouns for a fellow co-worker.

It’s for those who identify as genderqueer or non-binary and use they/them/theirs pronouns. It’s for the person who uses pronouns some of us have never heard of. It’s lets them know it’s okay to use their pronouns on their profiles, on their emails, in their life.

Today I read that Merriam-Webster dictionary just announced the personal pronoun ‘they’ as 2019’s word of the year. There has been a lot of resistance to using they as a singular pronoun. I hope this will help people realize that they have been used as a singular pronoun for years and it’s perfectly fine and appropriate. We should respect other people’s pronouns just as we respect the name they want to be called.

This is why pronouns matter.