Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that refers to either the people talking (I or you) or someone/something that is being talked about (like she, it, them, and this). Pronouns like he, she and they specifically refer to the people that you are talking about.

It is important to respect people's pronouns. You can't always know what someone's pronouns are by looking at them.

Asking and correctly using someone's pronouns is one of the most basic ways to show your respect for gender identity.

Gender neutral pronouns

They, them, theirs are common gender neutral pronouns. These are basically pronouns that don’t imply ‘male’ or ‘female’. Gender neutral pronouns are typically used by gender diverse and non-binary identifying people.

There are lots of other gender neutral pronouns. They can take a bit of getting used to, but it’s important to use the right ones. If you’re not sure, just politely ask.

Personal pronouns

Most people have personal pronouns. Whether they use she, he, or they, or anything else can depend that person’s gender identity. For example, it’s common for gender diverse people to prefer they, or other gender neutral pronouns. A female or male identifying person might prefer her or he pronouns respectively.

Why they are important

There are lots of reasons why it’s important to use the pronouns that a person prefers.

If someone happens to use pronouns that are different to what you might expect, they’ve probably thought long and hard about which ones and why.

Genitals ≠ gender

This is probably the biggest mistake you can make.

It’s an easy assumption to make accidentally, but genitals and bodies in general don’t reflect anything about a person’s pronouns or gender.

What we can do

There are simple things everyone can to to help us create an inclusive workplace. Council strongly encourages the use of pronouns on email signatures.

Including pronouns on email signatures not only helps people to know how you identify but also sends a message of inclusivity. This helps to create workplace culture where everyone feels welcome.

You can also show support and inclusivity by wearing a rainbow lanyard which can be collected from the Media and Communications Team on level 5 at the Civic Centre.