{"id":192,"date":"2021-08-11T13:22:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T17:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=192"},"modified":"2023-08-28T14:55:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T18:55:56","slug":"r-e-s-p-e-c-t-use-the-pronouns-right-for-thee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2021\/08\/11\/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-use-the-pronouns-right-for-thee\/","title":{"rendered":"R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Use the Pronouns Right For Thee!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cliff Rouder, Ed.D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/styles\/featured_image\/public\/edvice\/Pronoun%20Blog%20%281%29.png?itok=ax8OUbLV&amp;c=63b19af56c285abe87e57fb8dd577ea5\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A nod to the late, great Aretha Franklin for inspiring the subject line of this post. Notice I used the pronoun \u201cshe\u201d to refer to Aretha. Without giving it much thought, we typically refer to people by the pronouns we think match their appearance. Historically, these chosen pronouns have been the singular \u201cshe\/her\/hers\u201d for women and \u201che\/him\/his\u201d for men, and the plural \u201cthey\/them\/theirs\u201d for more than one. Tidy and grammatically correct, the singular pronouns have created what\u2019s referred to as the \u201cgender binary.\u201d The problem is, one\u2019s sex assigned at birth may not reflect one\u2019s internal sense of self, better known as gender identity, and that misgenders those whose gender identity is outside of that binary or is fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff, Temple is introducing two new initiatives to allow our community to indicate their pronouns and gender identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.temple.edu\/life-temple\/diversity-inclusivity\/pronoun-use-and-gender-identity\"><strong>Our Two Newest Inclusion Initiatives<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faculty, students, and staff now have the option to indicate pronouns that reflect their gender identity, and choose from expanded categories to indicate one\u2019s gender. Instructions for indicating your pronouns and gender identity are available on theTU Portal by clicking on&nbsp;<em>Manage My Account<\/em>&nbsp;and then&nbsp;<em>Update your Pronoun\/Gender<\/em>. For pronouns, we\u2019re now able to choose from&nbsp;<em>He\/Him\/His; She\/Her\/Hers; They\/Them\/Theirs; Ze\/Zir\/Zirs;&nbsp;<\/em>or<em>&nbsp;Refer to me by my name only.&nbsp;<\/em>For gender identity, in addition to indicating&nbsp;<em>male\/female<\/em>, we\u2019re now able to choose from&nbsp;<em>Nonbinary<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Does Not Apply to Me or Prefer Not to Share.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you add your pronouns, they will now be visible to everyone in these university systems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cherry and White Directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My Courses application in TUportal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Canvas learning management software<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Residence hall resident lists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you add your gender identity, it will only&nbsp;be visible to you as well as certain administrators in Self-Service Banner. It will&nbsp;<strong>not<\/strong>&nbsp;be visible in the Cherry and White Directory, My Courses, or in Canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Getting the hang of it.&nbsp;<\/strong>If you\u2019re a grammar stickler like me, using the plural pronouns \u201cthey\/them\/theirs,\u201d if someone identifies that way, takes some getting used to. The practice has actually become common enough to warrant Merriam-Webster\u2019s dictionary to give a thumbs up to its use in referring to the singular. That\u2019s the wonderful (albeit challenging-to-keep-up-with) thing about language: it\u2019s ever-evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You can do this!&nbsp;<\/strong>It just takes a little mindfulness and practice. Here are some ways you can use and reinforce the practice in your teaching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add your pronouns to your email signature. You can also link your pronouns to a&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/mypronouns.org\/\">resource<\/a>&nbsp;that explains why pronouns are important. Adding your pronouns may help others feel more comfortable in sharing theirs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Refer to your students by the pronouns you have for them in Canvas. If you misgender someone by using the wrong pronouns, don\u2019t fret. Apologize, let them know you care and are trying, and move on. You can also invite students to rename themselves with their pronouns in Zoom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remember that you can always call students by name. Giving students table tents on which to write their name and if they choose, their pronouns&#8211;especially in large classes&#8211;is a great way to get to know and demonstrate respect for your students.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the what and why of pronoun use, check out&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.genderbread.org\/\">this resource<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/videos\/search?q=ze%2fzir%2fzirs+pronouns&amp;docid=608001003685569585&amp;mid=FBF0F03F4B37E8F1EF6FFBF0F03F4B37E8F1EF6F&amp;view=detail&amp;FORM=VIRE\">youtube video<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to learn more about LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the classroom, check out this&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/resource\/pdf\/A%20Guide%20to%20LGBTQIA%2B%20Terminology.pdf\">Guide to LGBTQIA+ Terminology <\/a>and this&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oM_9my1CIlc\">video<\/a>&nbsp;on the CAT website, and watch for our upcoming fall workshop offering: Inclusion in the Classroom: Supporting our LGBTQIA+ students. Don\u2019t forget our Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (IDEAL) offers a fantastic two-part workshop and certificate called the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/ideal\/diversity-education\/safe-zone-certification\">Safe Zone Certification<\/a>.&nbsp;After completing the workshops, you are considered an&nbsp;<em>Advocate<\/em>&nbsp;which indicates acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities and a commitment to working against discrimination directed towards the community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, feel free to make an appointment for a&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/catbooking.temple.edu\/\">1-1 consultation<\/a>&nbsp;with one of our faculty developers at the CAT for further assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cliff Rouder is Pedagogy &amp; Design Specialist at Temple University&#8217;s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cliff Rouder, Ed.D. A nod to the late, great Aretha Franklin for inspiring the subject line of this post. Notice I used the pronoun \u201cshe\u201d to refer to Aretha. Without giving it much thought, we typically refer to people by the pronouns we think match their appearance. Historically, these chosen pronouns have been the singular &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2021\/08\/11\/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-use-the-pronouns-right-for-thee\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Use the Pronouns Right For Thee!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diversity-equity-inclusion","category-faculty-wellness-preparedness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}