{"id":11430,"date":"2021-06-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=11430"},"modified":"2021-06-03T16:04:31","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T20:04:31","slug":"the-principles-of-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2021\/06\/04\/the-principles-of-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Principles of Pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Preface: Using she\/they pronouns does not make me understand the trans experience. The following article is based on my personal experience using she\/they pronouns. I have not and will not face the discrimination trans-identifying people do. I can only speak on behalf of myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do Pronouns Matter?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started using she\/they pronouns last year. I identify as a cisgender queer woman. For some people, their gender identity does not match the one assigned at birth. For others, their gender identity does not end at womanhood or manhood, but they feel connected to those experiences. Gender is a spectrum, and pronouns are just a start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placing my pronouns in as many places as possible always seemed like the easiest choice I could make as an ally. My pronouns are in my Zoom name, Instagram bio, Twitter bio, email signature, Slack name and pretty much anywhere else that allows a name. When I introduce myself with pronouns, it demonstrates to transgender folks that they can tell me their pronouns. It shows that they are in a safe space and that I will not use incorrect pronouns. Explaining your pronouns, even as a cisgender person, can be the difference between someone feeling comfortable in a work environment or not. As communicators, we know language is power. When someone names their pronouns, they are asking for respect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe or She\u201d Is Outdated<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a journalism class I took, students received five points off for every AP Style mistake. In this article alone, I would have received 45 points off of a 100 point paper. The AP Stylebook<\/a> says I can\u2019t use they\/them\/theirs pronouns for a singular person unless the use is essential. Use is essential when a person names their pronouns. Use is unessential when naming an arbitrary individual, resulting in \u201che or she\u201d being used. Sometimes this makes writing classes feel invalidating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another rule we learn in writing classes is to be efficient with our words. We need to print as few words as possible. \u201cHe or she\u201d is three words and seven characters, not including spaces. \u201cThey\u201d is one word and four letters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from using \u201cthey\u201d in place of \u201che or she,\u201d neo pronouns are not allowed in AP Style. Neo pronouns are used by individuals who do not identify with the binary, nor feel connected to they\/them\/theirs pronouns. Examples include \u201cze\u201d and \u201czir.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaylor was hungry so ze went to the store to get zir food.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In public relations, we talk about being ethical. When adhering to the PRSA Code of Ethics<\/a>, shouldn\u2019t we advocate for non-binary individuals? It\u2019s unethical, even harmful, to misgender people, and we shouldn\u2019t be okay doing so just because the AP Stylebook told us to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can You Be A Better Ally?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For people who use more than one pronoun, interchange their pronouns. Use the pronoun that you think people use the least. For instance: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey wanted strawberry ice cream. She was disappointed because the store only had chocolate.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you mess up, don\u2019t draw greater attention to the mistake. Don\u2019t make it a big deal, and don\u2019t mess up again. One accident is not offensive, but if you don\u2019t readjust, that\u2019s offensive. People who identify with a different gender (or pronouns) than assigned at birth already receive unwanted attention. Making the situation awkward with excessive apologies can make them even more uncomfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is\u00a0important that communicators remain cognizant of language and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Pronouns are only the beginning. Using inclusive language is imperative to an ethical media representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Add your pronouns to your email signature and consider supporting organizations like GLAAD<\/a> or the Trevor Project<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rayna van Beuzekom is a third-year public relations student at the University of Florida with a minor in women\u2019s studies. She will serve as the vice president of diversity and inclusion for 2021-2022 PRSSA National Committee. Follow her on Twitter<\/a> and connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Preface: Using she\/they pronouns does not make me understand the trans experience. The following article is based on my personal experience using she\/they pronouns. I have not and will not face the discrimination trans-identifying people do. I can only speak on behalf of myself. Why Do Pronouns Matter? I started using she\/they pronouns last year. I identify as a cisgender […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":11431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2893,2898],"tags":[2759,60,3491,3490,81],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11430"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11430"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11434,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11430\/revisions\/11434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}