Oct. 17 is International Pronouns Day; LGBTQ+ office to hold 'Lunch & Learn' in the VU

International Pronouns Day seeks to make asking, sharing, and respecting personal pronouns commonplace. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity, but many transgender and gender nonconforming people are regularly called by the wrong pronouns, which can lead them to feel invisible and marginalized.

LGBTQ+ Western is pleased to endorse the first International Pronouns Day.  International Pronouns Day seeks to make asking, sharing, and respecting personal pronouns commonplace.

Have you heard people sharing their pronouns when introducing themselves and wondered why?  Do you want to respect people’s pronouns but worry about making mistakes?  Students, faculty, and staff are invited to this Lunch & Learn conversation to learn more about why respecting people’s pronouns is important and practice strategies for incorporating respect for people’s pronouns into your classes and daily interactions. Bring your lunch and join the conversation!

Oct. 17, from Noon to 1 p.m.
Viking Union 462

“Our workplaces and campuses should be places of empowerment and care for others. Using the right pronouns to refer to a person is affirming and respectful,” said Shige Sakurai (they), the campaign’s founder and the creator of the educational MyPronouns.org website.

Over 250 groups, from a brewery in Virginia to a transgender organization in Italy, have endorsed the day, including more than 100 college offices and organizations. The full list of endorsers is online at: https://pronounsday.org/endorsers

Some key endorsements come from groups such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities, ACPA: College Student Educators International, NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the GLBT Round Table of the American Library Association, Out for Health: Planned Parenthood’s LGBT Health & Wellness Program, APA Division 44: Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, and CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers.

Organizations and individuals in over a dozen countries will participate, and each will engage in activities they have created for their own local context. For example:

Argo Collective will run a workshop on gender inclusion in the workplace in Brooklyn, New York.
North Ridgeville High School’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance plans to share their pronouns and create visibility.
TransgenderIndia.com is planning to conduct social media outreach on the day.
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota will be tabling and handing out pronoun buttons.
The Allsorts Youth Project, in England, will make pronoun badges and decorate cupcakes.
The Mayor of Ithaca, New York has issued a proclamation recognizing International Pronouns Day.
University of Virginia’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights is hosting a screening of the documentary Free Cece!, followed by a panel discussion and reception.
Others will be hosting transgender panel discussions, posting online with the #PronounsDay hashtag, working to create supportive institutional policies and practices, and creating awareness in their workplaces, campuses, and communities.

The event’s website (https://www.pronounsday.org) includes ideas and tools for participating, answers to common questions, and a registration form for individuals, organizations, and endorsers.

“Intersecting forms of oppression deeply impact transgender communities. These actions are part of the larger work of creating and sustaining inclusive and supportive communities for everyone,” said Luca Maurer (he), a campaign Executive Board member, about this first ever observance.