College Offers Gender Pronoun Stickers 'so each individual feels safe Navigating' Campus
The University of California, San Francisco, offers gender pronoun "stickers" that can be affixed to school identification cards in order to "reduce instances of misgendering" and to ensure "each individual feels safe navigating UCSF."
"As a university that recognizes and appreciates diversity, UCSF strives to create an inclusive environment for all of our community members," according to the school's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center. "It is important to offer opportunities for all members to share their gender pronouns in settings where they are asked to introduce themselves. Whether you are working with a colleague, peer, or patient — we want to allow for everyone to specifically indicate their pronouns so each individual feels safe navigating UCSF."
The site further explains that the stickers "aim to reduce instances of misgendering and to make it easier for you to know which pronouns to use for someone you just met, especially if you are not sure about their correct gender pronouns."
What do the stickers say?
Well, there are "he, him, his" and "she, her, hers" stickers available for less adventurous campus travelers — along with a grammatically incorrect "they, them, theirs" sticker (not that it's from a college or anything) along with "ze, hir, hirs," whatever that means. Oh, and if you want to gab with your counterpart a bit, there's also an "ask me about my pronouns" option:
Why stop there?
Hopefully, the UCSF LGBT Resource Center is offering additional options beyond what's seen on its website — but if not, it could always take cues from other campuses that have announced a bevy of possible pronouns for every occasion.
Take the LGBT group at the University of Georgia. Last year it opened the door for other pronouns such as "per" and "ve" and "ver" and "eirs" and "eirself" — along with "vis," "vers" and "verself." Not content with additional vocabulary, the group also decreed that folks must use a person's correct gender pronoun even if they're not with that person.
Further questions? The below clip will engage and enlighten:
