What pronouns do you idenitify with?
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If you identify with your birth-sex, the importance of pronouns may not cross your mind very often.
However, for members of the LGBTIQA+ community pronouns are a meaningful reflection of their gender identity and the use of a person's preferred gender pronouns is a form of respect and inclusion.
Tamworth Pride Inc. president William Weller said they came to identify with the pronouns he/him after they had transitioned.
"It was basically along the lines of coming out as transgender," he said.
"I had to think about whether I identified as a 'him' totally and for me I identify as a 'he/him', but my daughter identifies as a 'them/they'."
What are pronouns?
From a linguistic standpoint, pronouns are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases. They are also used to refer to someone instead of their name.
Pronouns carry deep significance for non-binary, transgender, and those who are non-conforming individuals, as not everyone exclusively fits into the gender-based pronouns for male and female.
Depending on a person's gender fluidity, these pronouns can range from a mix of he/him/his to she/her/hers, to gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them/their.
Additionally, there are neo-pronouns of ze/hir/hirs and ey/em/eirs that may be a better fit for an individual than the use of traditional pronouns.
"One of the misconception is that we cannot use 'they' in a regular sentence. People have been doing it for years throughout the English language, it just has not been used in a singular way," Mr Weller said.
It is like asking someone's name
When referring to a person, correct gender pronouns helps create a safe, inclusive space that demonstrates respect and affirms their chosen gender identity.
Mr Weller said asking for a person's pronouns, if you are comfortable, could be as simple as asking their names.
"It is more like a prefix, like Mr and Mrs," he said.
"At the beginning of a conversation, if you wanted to it could be a simple, 'hey, what pronouns should I use for you?', instead of assuming someone's pronouns. Another way is to just refer to them by their name without making any assumptions."
Mr Weller mentioned that nowadays many people include their preferred pronouns to their email signatures or add a line to their Instagram or Facebook bios.
"It is another way to acknowledge someone's gender and how they identify.
"It is not really a big, scary thing, and I think a lot of people get stressed out with pronouns because they worried they may not remember them. But, as long as they are trying, that is all that matters," he said.
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