Daniel LaurisonJan 10, 2023

Hello @sociology & etc, if you're planning first-day-of-class (or etc) introductions, and you want to be inclusive of trans/non-binary folks, can I suggest (as a trans professor with a lot of trans & non-binary students) including pronouns as *optional* rather than required?

Pronouns in go-rounds & on name-tags & etc are great in many ways, bc they signal "we don't assume anyone's gender identity/pronouns here" and also "we're trying to be inclusive of trans & non-binary people."

But: (cont)

Show threadDaniel Laurison

... BUT they're also deeply uncomfortable for anyone not ready to share for any reason.

I would have hated hated hated them when I was a not-yet-out-as-trans college student, and when I've made pronoun-sharing optional & explained why, I've gotten a lot of appreciation from my trans & NB students.

I also dislike them now, though I appreciate the intent a lot.

Jan 10, 2023 at 3:54pmWeb
Show threadDaniel LaurisonJan 10, 2023

I come out as trans on the first day in every class I teach, and when we get to them introducing themselves I tell them that pronouns are optional because I would have hated to have to do it.

What I do instead is A) have students write down all their important info on a card, including pronouns if they want to share, + ask them to answer some ice-breaker type questions B) ask them to say name, class year, pronoun *if they want* and one other thing they wrote down.

Show threadDaniel LaurisonJan 10, 2023
If I have to be more explicit about why I don't like mandatory pronoun sharing, it's because A) it reifies the idea that the most important thing to know about someone is their gender and B) collapses their gender down to just do they use the pronoun you expect/think matches them.
Show threadDaniel LaurisonJan 10, 2023
IMO the best approach is probably something like "I'd like to invite everyone to say their name and, if you feel like sharing, also the pronouns they'd like everyone to use for them. I ask include pronouns because not everyone uses the ones others might guess based on their appearance, and I want us to be as respectful as possible of each other. But it's fine to just give your name; then if we need pronouns for you we'll probably just use 'they.'"
Show threadDaniel LaurisonJan 10, 2023

The right approach will vary of course based on your institution's culture & your own teaching style. But whatever you do, you want to be clear that you support trans & NB students & want to make them comfortable.

(Also really I hardly ever actually refer to a student in the 3rd person in class, in part because even in relatively small classes I'm rarely 100% sure I remember everyone's pronoun in the moment. I just refer to students by their names or address them in the 2nd person.)

Show threadMal 甄/kalessin/PeriJan 12, 2023
@daniel_laurison this is all one reason I have a staged answer when asked about my pronouns: https://geekblog.malcolmgin.com/about/identity-and-priorities/pronoun-exercise-game/
Pronoun Exercise / Game

What are pronouns and why do I care about them? I have identified as trans and genderqueer since my mid-20s. That was around the late 1990s. In the early 1990s I found out I was genetically, chromo…

Malcolm's Geek Blog
Show threadPJ "Vote Green" CoffeyJan 12, 2023

@daniel_laurison That's a solid and nuanced thread. I like it. Also, imagine having to share a neopronoun with a bunch of cis people as a young person for potentially the first time! Nightmare.

#Trans #Education #Pronouns #PastoralCare #DontMakeYourStudentsOutThemselves

Show threadthe Hearth Jan 12, 2023

@daniel_laurison also, some pronoun sets can be... somewhat stigmatized, particularly neopronouns (like my headmate uses -F) and it/its pronouns (hi those are mine -F)

being required to share pronouns immediately puts us on the spot, having to decide do we trust these people to be respectful about it pronouns or zhe pronouns, or do we just say they pronouns

(the plurality aspect also complicates things in our specific case, but we're just talking about the pronouns here)
-F/R

Show threadSally-Anne WJan 10, 2023
@daniel_laurison thank you for this thread.
Show threadDaphneJan 12, 2023
@daniel_laurison Very much so. My workplace had a "Pronouns Day" (!!). I'm not yet out at work - literally any answer I gave would be wrong and uncomfortable.