What are pronouns?

It is so important to respect everyone’s identity and way of expressing themselves in dress, even if you don’t understand it or don’t express yourself in the same way. Using people’s correct names and pronouns makes others feel seen, included, happier, and respected.

Everyone has a set of pronouns that they use, whether they are common pronouns such as she/her, he/him, or they/them, or other newer pronouns called ‘neopronouns’ such as ze/zir and xe/xem.

They/them pronouns and neopronouns are gender-neutral pronouns that can be used by anyone. Most often they are used by transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people, who may not see themselves in the way that we traditionally understand male or female.

We all use pronouns in conversation or written text to refer to a person, to avoid having to say or write their names repeatedly.

 

Examples of pronouns being used in conversation:

• “Did you hear that Tayla got accepted into that scholarship? She worked so hard, I am so happy to hear that her hard work has paid off!”
• “My friend Seth loves playing their sports. I really admire them. They are really talented!”

The best thing? You already know how to use the singular ‘they’ pronoun. Imagine you are at a café, and notice there is a lost umbrella that has been left on the floor. You might say, “Is this yours? I think someone has left their umbrella behind!”

It is so important to respect everyone’s identity and way of expressing themselves in dress, even if you don’t understand it or don’t express yourself in the same way. Using people’s correct names and pronouns makes others feel seen, included, happier, and respected.

Use people’s correct pronouns and names even when they’re not around, and gently remind others when they slip up. Mistakes will happen, and that is okay. Simply apologise, correct yourself and try not to make a huge deal of it.

 

Here’s how that could play out in conversation

• Person A: “I just caught up with Alex, she is so much fun to talk to.”
• Person B: “By the way, Alex uses he/him pronouns.”
• Person A: “Oh sorry, thanks for letting me know. I just caught up with Alex, he is so much fun to talk to.”

Being better prepared and more knowledgeable about using pronouns comes down to practice, practice, and practice!

 

Championing the conversation

Ensuring we lead by example, Inclusion Solutions create a safe and welcoming environment for people of all gender identities by:

• Including our pronouns on name tags and email signatures
• Sharing our pronouns with new folks when introducing ourselves at meetings and events
• Learning more about gender identity and practising the use of different pronouns
• Developing and sharing resources with our stakeholders and others we work with around gender identity and the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ communities.