Pronouns: why include in your biography and email signature block

Thank you for asking about why we are including our pronouns!  In short, because It helps many. 

I am guessing you prefer your full first name rather than a shortened version thereof?   That is how you have identified yourself in your signature block. You don’t have another line listed with the common short version, or any other way to refer to you in your text.  As a result, I feel pretty safe calling you that—even though you might sometimes go by the short form or a middle name with family or friends, or maybe your surname with teammates.

Normalizing conversations about pronouns makes it easier for folks for whom common prounouns don’t apply to share how they identify. Unfortunately, it remains unsafe in far too many places for some to be their true and authentic selves-not just in the LGBTQIA+ community, but heterosexual cisgender men shamed for being “emotional” or doing something “like a girl” or presuming cishet women don't have the  same skills and experience as their stereotypical male classmates or coworkers.  

Among all the places this needs to change, higher ed should top that list. Students and employees  commit to study, work and live (in case of dorm residents and those in labs and studios all hours of day and night) should not require bravery just to be.  My sharing my pronouns demonstrates that I hope the students and colleagues with whom I work trust me to do the same with me and in our community.  Plus, if folks are comfortable sharing, others are alleviated from guessing.   This sometimes seems to be a burden for folks, but calling people as they identify (full first name?  Short version?  prefer middle name?  Correctly pronounced?) adds to a respectful climate all around. 

In addition, higher ed is international.  Even if you are fortunate to have a name that faithfully represents your gender identity, that name can be unfamiliar to those from other parts of the world.

In addition to adding personal pronouns, some folks are also including "why” to enable those that are unfamiliar with that practice to learn more about it, by linking to GLSEN PronounGuide  or My pronouns, what and why

Some other good resources:

o   What are pronouns?  How do you ask someone’s pronouns? And other video clips:  https://pronounsday.org/resources

o   What to do if you or someone else accidentally uses the wrong pronoun: https://www.mypronouns.org/mistakes

o   Practice using various pronouns: https://pronouns.minus18.org.au/