Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual event to celebrate transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people and raise awareness of the discrimination that many people still face across the world. 

The University should be a place where colleagues and students can be themselves and be treated with dignity, respect, and kindness.

One of the ways that everyone can help to achieve that is to be proactive in their use of pronouns. 

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are how people refer to themselves, such as he/she. Some people prefer they/them or ze/zir. 

Why are pronouns important?

Using someone’s preferred pronouns shows your respect for how they would like to be addressed and that you see them as a person. Using the wrong pronoun can hurt and can be disrespectful. 

Four simple things you can do from today:

1. Ask people what their pronoun is just as you would ask a preferred name (in conversation and in documentation).

2. Use that pronoun. 

3. Include your pronouns in your email signature. 

4. Introduce yourself with your pronoun, for example, at the start of a meeting. 

Adding pronouns to your email signature 

You can add ‘(hi/ei) | (she/her)’ after your name or

'Fy rhagenwau i yw ‘hi/ei' | My pronouns are she/her’

You can add ‘(ef/fe/ei) | (he/him)’ after your name or

'Fy rhagenwau i yw ef /fe/ei | My pronouns are he/him’

You can add ‘(nhw/eu) | (they/them)’ after your name or

'Fy rhagenwau i yw nhw/eu | My pronouns are they/them’