Welcome to Esmée’s take! Where we discuss current social issues and why they matter. Today, we’re going to talk about what pronouns are, the importance of pronouns, and why
You may have realized through the colorful pins laid with care on the table in the atrium, or through the signs saying “international pronoun day,” but today, 10/21, marks the 3rd anniversary of International Pronoun Day, a day dedicated to the normalization of pronouns nationwide. The Oliver Ames Gender Sexuality Alliance (or GSA) sponsored the pronoun pin event by buying pins, and handing them out before school on Tuesday and Thursday.
I know what some of you are wondering: what are pronouns? Pronouns are words that people can use to refer to you instead of your name. For example: if you are female, and people refer to you using “she” and “her,” then your pronouns are she/her. The same rule applies for males, only males would use “he” and “him” (he/him) pronouns instead. These pronoun sets are the most common, but there are others (such as they/them) that are used the exact same way as the other pronouns. If I was referring to my friend with they/them pronouns, I would say “They’re a really cool person. I saw them a few minutes ago in philosophy class.”
Pronouns are super important to the transgender part of the LGBT community, providing a way to affirm their identities and introduce themselves so there are no misconceptions. As the leader of the GSA, and a transgender person myself, I understand this importance. Pronouns serve as a sense of both identity and validation, identifying the individual, and validating them based on their preference. International Pronoun Day helps take this concept and amplifies it to try and “normalize pronouns.” Originally, only transgender people used their pronouns in their everyday lives, and were often susceptible to violence and hatred as a result. Normalizing pronouns is changing all of that. We are now seeing more pronouns used in conversation and on social media than ever before. Many allies of the LGBTQ+ community are now beginning to integrate pronouns into their lives as an act of solidarity and support.
Overall, Pronoun Day was made to normalize pronouns in a way everyone can take part in. It’s significance lies in one area: allies. Want to participate? GSA is handing out pronoun pins before school on Thursday in the atrium, and will gladly take requests to send them to remote students. Feel free to check out accounts such as @GLSEN or @HRC to get ideas about how you can use your pronouns and support the normalization effort.
Peace till next time everyone!