Pronouns can’t be mandated from above. But that hasn’t stopped the pronoun police from trying.
I recently attended an online conference on student mental health and was struck by the number of attendees whose online identification included not only their name but also their preferred pronouns. There is a growing trend for people to list their preferred pronouns on their social-media profiles and on their personal or work email signature. The third Wednesday in October each year is now International Pronouns Day. Many celebrities and politicians have also got in on the act. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, in an address at the Pink News awards, introduced himself by declaring that ‘my pronouns are he/him’. For many, these declarations not only express their personal identity, but are also meant to denote their alignment with progressive and subversive political causes.
