Right to Pronouns

Right to Pronouns

“Pronouns can be fluid and subject to continual change by the individual. Correct use of pronouns is a right; therefore the introduction of pronouns in conversation, pronouns on name badges, and pronoun tags on emails that can be readily altered should be standard practice to create inclusive spaces in the veterinary profession.”

Section Authors: Kat Martinez, PhD, Associate Dean; Ewan Wolff, PhD, DVM, DACVIM
Section Editors: Mia Cary, DVM; Kate Toyer, BVSc, MANZCVS

Legal precedence

• The Supreme Court Bostock vs. Clayton County in 2020 ruling calls out specifically discrimination against transgender people as being done on the basis of sex, and therefore subject to Title VII.
• In October 2021, a British Columbia tribunal ruled that inappropriate use of pronouns violated Canadian human rights bill C-16 (2017), saying in the decision “When people use the right pronouns, they can feel safe and enjoy the moment. When people do not use the right pronouns, that safety is undermined and they are forced to repeat to the world: I exist.” A subsequent Ontario ruling in November 2021, EN v Gallaghers Bar determined that the bar owners were in violation of Human Rights Bill C-16 in part because of not using they/them pronouns, and also discriminatory language.
• In December 2021, the Equal Treatment Benchbook from the Judicial College (applied to England and Wales) was updated to recommend using appropriate pronouns for individuals in court.
• Due to the current shifting landscape please stay abreast of the latest information by engaging with organizations such as Transgender Law Center and independent journalists such as Erin Reed.

Importance:

The right to pronouns is about being acknowledged as the gender with which one identifies, and is thus in a sense about the right to identity. For instance, if one has the right to identify as transgender, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming, then it would follow that they have the right to utilize and be respected with the pronoun aligned to their identity. Having acknowledgment and respect for one’s identities and pronouns is core to mental and thus physical health and well-being. Study after study has found that gender-affirming care (which includes the proper use of pronouns) greatly improves the wellbeing of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals. Take the 2014 study by Kuvalanka, Weiner, and Mahan for example: they note that positive support of transgender youths’ social transition (e.g. use of new pronouns and presentation of self) by family and community was met with transformations in well-being–often from depressed and anxious to happy and outgoing. Moreover, these positive transformations continued for youth within “affirming social climate[s].” Similarly, Durwood, McLaughlin, and Olson (2017) found that socially transitioned transgender children reported high self-worth; despite normative levels of depression and slightly higher anxiety, Durwood et al. suggest that social transition with positive support seems to work for children and youth. What differentiates transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming children and youth from adults in overall wellness may very well be that social transition (e.g. social acceptance, use of pronouns, and equitable access to resources) in adulthood is not often met with the same support. A right to pronouns, thus, is important to the overall mission of gender equity, particularly as non-binary pronouns become more widely utilized.

Historic precedent:

In a recent Trevor Project report, 1 out of 4 LGBTQIA+ survey participants utilized pronouns other than she/her and he/him. A recent Gallup poll showed that 1 in 6 Gen Z people in the beginning of 2021 (ages 10-25 with 68 million people in that group in the US) were LGBTQ+ which would mean that 11.3 million are LGBTQ+. Roughly 3 million would then have they/them pronouns. Another survey in October 2021 said that 40% of Gen Z is non-binary. That would mean that 27.2 million people would be LGBTQ+ in the US Gen Z population with 10.88 million non-binary people. There was different lengthier methodology on this second survey but with lower numbers (conducted with scientists at Arizona Christian University). According to AAVMC statistics in 2020, there were 10, 273 applicants to the first year of veterinary school of which anywhere from 1712-4109 would be projected with these two study statistics to be LGBTQ+. Using the Trevor Project numbers, 428-1,027 applicants would be projected to be non-binary per vet school year in the US within the next decade that Gen Z is applying to veterinary school. For informational purposes transwomen on average don’t transition until 27. Transmen on average transition by 23. Many trans people don’t transition until their thirties. The average veterinary student is 24 years old at admission. Looking at veterinary school participants there were 13,548 total vet students in 2019-2020, which means if all were Gen Z (obviously some are millennial and Gen X) then 2258-5419 would be LGBTQ+ and there would be 564-1355 non-binary vet students in the US not counting transgender and gender non conforming students. We believe these numbers to be impactful even if they are just projections.”

According to Waters (2021), they/them have been in use as gender neutral pronouns since at least the 17th century. Because language is prone to change–due to shifts in culture, norms, and expectations–the use of they/them as a term for the “indefinite” gender lost popularity with linguists in the 18th century, but regained popularity in the 21st century among LGBTQIA+ communities. Despite conservative push-back against the use of the gender-neutral they/them, however, there are plenty of other pronouns in use (e.g. e/em, zi/zim, xe/xem, ve/ver, etc.) whose origins span from the 1890s to the 1990s. While these additional pronouns have not gained popular media attention, they/them provoke specific contempt from those who view both sex and gender as a binary. For these communities, the heart of the issue is not in the “misuse of the plural,” although this is often claimed, rather it is the recognition of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals and communities and their rights to dignity, respect, and access to resources. As a response to transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals, a refusal to utilize non-binary pronouns and even to misgender these groups have been implemented as intentional weapons of oppression (e.g. harassment and bullying). This has in turn been recognized by Canadian courts as a violation of human rights in 2021.

Potential for harm:

Whereas misgendering can and does occur unintentionally, intentional misgendering occurs when people refuse to utilize the correct pronouns and may even “deadname” or utilize a former name attached to a former gender identity. Misgendering, although seemingly insignificant, can have major negative impacts to a transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming person’s health and wellbeing. McLemore (2015) found that misgendering is associated with more negative affect, feelings of less authenticity, and lower self-appearance ratings. Being misgendered, even for cisgender individuals, can hurt, yet the effects for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals is even more pronounced as they work to find acceptance and avoid stigma and potential violence. As an aside, One can consider the use of ‘he’ as a gender neutral pronoun to include ‘she’ by default in English writing (Wayne, 2005) since the British Parliament Interpretation Act of 1850. Continually using ‘he’ as a gender neutral pronoun immediately disengages a large portion of the cisgender population.

One of the difficulties encountered for non-binary individuals is that their identity is tied so strongly into their pronouns. For transmen and transwomen and masc or femme gender non-conforming or genderqueer individuals, the use of pronouns may help to evade discrimination. For non-binary individuals however, the introduction of they/them pronouns introduces an immediate level of risk and exposure. Such considerations may lead to suppression of non-binary identity on a broad scale .

Galupo et al (2014) found that non-binary folx experience “invalidations of gender legitimacy” as microaggressions. Bokting (2015) also describes this as “non-affirmation.” Nadal et al (2016) explain, ” This type of invalidation may be detrimental for genderqueer people, who are told that their identities and experiences are not valid.” Wyss (2004) found that youths were pressured to conform to a gender binary, consequently having heightened self-awareness and self-critique (e.g. “am I binary enough”). More contemporary research suggests that LGBTQIA+ people experience these microaggressions differently, based on the intersections of oppression (e.g. LGBTQ Asian Americans reported more microaggressive experiences than LGBTQ Afrian American and Latinx participants and LGBTQ men of color reported more microaggressive experiences than LGBTQ women of color in Balsam et al., 2011).

Individual action:

1. Learn about gender identity, gender diversity, and pronouns
2. Practice non-binary pronouns. Make them a habit when pronouns are unknown
3. Ask, if you don’t know. People are typically happy to share their pronouns
4. Introduce your pronouns when meeting somebody new. This creates a habit and opens dialogue
5. Be open to correction. There is no need to apologize multiple times, just do better next time
6. Create an atmosphere of inclusion. Develop inclusive policies and practices (e.g., documents with pronoun options)

Workplace Implementation:

1) When asking for Pronouns, in particular it should be made clear that it is NOT “Preferred Pronouns” it is just “Pronouns”. Preferred pronouns still get a lot of use even in progressive organizations and it is important to remember that being gender diverse is not a mental illness, so too pronouns are not an affectation to be called preferred.

2) As mentioned in the pronoun resources earlier, people can also use multiple pronouns e.g. She / Him or He / They or Ze / They etc. and this needs to be stressed as valued and not minimized.

3) Even though someone may not “look” like a typical male or typical female in either their physical characteristics or gender presentation to one observer’s opinion, that if they have she / her or He / Him pronouns then that is how they should be addressed. Likewise there is no standard non-binary physique, so they/them pronouns should be granted without argument or disrespect. This common decency is expected for cisgender people, and should also be expected for gender diverse people.

4) For the person who constantly gets pronouns wrong without effort or reason there should be an effort to disabuse them of this habit whether through discussion, continuing education, incentive to do so or mental health first aid/suicide prevention training that emphasizes harm of misgendering.

Further steps

1. Provide a gender-neutral bathroom
2. Publicly post an anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy
3. Provide periodic training for all team members so it is clear what types of behaviors are acceptable and what are not, and so everyone knows what to do if they hear a statement or see an action that does not align with workplace policies
4. Ensure all clients/customer/vendor forms contain gender neutral and inclusive wording (eg spouse/partner instead of husband/wife)
5. Review the Gender Identity Bill of Rights with all team members, sign onto the document as an organization, and invite all team members to sign on to support the document