(cont)
Everyone’s gender identity and gender expression are on a spectrum. Understanding this is a vital part of being a trans ally and should be part and parcel of including pronouns in your signature.
All of this may sound like an unnecessary level of ‘woke’ to bring to the office.
But Battye says, on a deeper level changes like this leads to powerful cultural shifts in organisations:
“It creates a safe space so everyone can bring their whole self to work, no longer needing to censor or hide parts of themselves. This leads to greater productivity, creativity and connection with colleagues and your organisational purpose.”
How can I persuade everyone at my workplace to put pronouns in their email signatures?
In offices where I have worked where pronouns in bios and email signatures have become prevalent, it happened with complete ease. And not once, have I seen it been mandatory.
In a small organisation, it might be something you can start yourself. Simply add the pronouns in.
But if you want to make more sweeping change, or work for a larger organisation, you could seek the help of your HR team.
One institution who has taken the step of informing all their staff they can add pronouns into their signatures is Southbank Centre.
Following their highly regarded Kiss My Genders exhibition, the UK’s largest cultural arts centre sent their staff a message saying:
“As part of our ongoing efforts to be inclusive of all gender identities, we are pleased to confirm that anyone wishing to do so may add pronouns to their email signature.”
Telling their staff:
“Adding these words to your email signature has the practical benefit of making clear how you would like to be referred to, while also signalling to the recipient that you will respect their gender identity and choice of pronouns. It is an effective way of normalising discussions about gender and creating an inclusive work environment for transgender and non-binary people.”
Lucy Peters, who spearheaded the change at Southbank Centre, wanted to support trans and non-binary colleagues by reducing some the burden on them to explain their identity.
At Southbank Centre, this change was not something all staff were expected to do. Peters says that is because “it’s important to be sensitive to the fact that being out at work is the choice of the individual.”
Will the new decade bring more discussions about gender?
Being aware of pronouns, and the way societies attitudes are changing to them is a valuable tool for business, advertisers and individuals going into the new decade.
Surveys in the last decade have shown a trend of growing fluidity in young peoples sexual and gender identities. In a UK survey in 2017 by anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, over half of the young people they spoke to, did not identify as straight.
But the reason this conversation will be a big topic in the new decade is because recent UK media vitriol towards the trans community from the media will carry on into the new year.
A recent high profile example was author J.K Rowling’s intervention in December on a court decision that ruled it was acceptable to fire someone for their hateful anti-LGBT+ views, was spun into a conversation about ‘biological sex’ and women’s only spaces.
And just this month, new voter reform laws have been announced by the new Government which could damage trans people’s ability to vote.
Boris Johnson will also have to contend with an LGBT+ community desperate for reform of the Gender Recognition Act.
A change last delayed, the day he first took office as Prime Minister in July 2019.
